Civil society organisation BudgIT has called for an immediate independent investigation into the controversial ₦1.3 billion allocation to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The organisation described the incident as a major indictment of Nigeria’s budgeting system, warning that it exposes deep-rooted weaknesses in the country’s public financial management and oversight mechanisms.
In a statement issued on Saturday, BudgIT said the controversy surrounding the agency—which has since been publicly disowned by the Presidency—raises serious concerns about the credibility and transparency of the national budget process.
According to the civic-tech organisation, allocating over ₦1.3 billion to an agency whose legal existence has been denied by the Presidency demonstrates significant institutional failures and calls for urgent public scrutiny.
Presidency’s Denial Sparks More Questions
The controversy began after allegations surfaced on social media following claims by the alleged Director-General of the PFIPC/PEAC, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, that he paid ₦400 million to the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment.
The Presidency swiftly dismissed the allegation through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who described Adeyemi as a “criminal impostor” and insisted that no such agency exists under the Presidency.
However, BudgIT argued that the Presidency’s denial has raised even more troubling questions that demand immediate answers.
The organisation asked how an agency allegedly unknown to the Presidency was able to operate from office space within the Federal Secretariat, reportedly maintain multiple accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), receive a budgetary allocation exceeding ₦1.3 billion, successfully pass through the federal budget approval process, and interact with government institutions, diplomatic missions and development partners before its legitimacy was challenged.
Agency Missing From Previous Budgets
BudgIT said its review of previous federal budgets showed that neither the PFIPC nor the PEAC appeared under the Presidency in the 2023, 2024 or 2025 Appropriation Acts.
According to the organisation, the agency’s sudden inclusion in the 2026 budget raises legitimate concerns about how it was introduced, reviewed and eventually approved during the appropriation process.
Incident Reflects Longstanding Budgeting Problems
BudgIT maintained that the controversy is not an isolated incident but rather another example of persistent deficiencies in Nigeria’s budgeting framework.
The organisation recalled that its report on National Assembly Insertions in the 2025 Budget uncovered 11,122 projects worth approximately ₦6.93 trillion allegedly inserted into the federal budget without sufficient justification.
The projects represented about 12.5 per cent of the ₦54.99 trillion national budget, highlighting recurring concerns over weak legislative oversight and poor fiscal transparency.
According to BudgIT, the latest controversy reinforces longstanding concerns about unexplained budget insertions, inadequate scrutiny and institutional lapses that continue to undermine accountability in public spending.
Call for Thorough Investigation
The organisation stressed that the issue goes beyond allegations against individuals, arguing that it points to a broader breakdown of safeguards across the government institutions responsible for preparing, reviewing and approving Nigeria’s national budget.
BudgIT noted that the federal budget typically passes through several layers of scrutiny involving Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Presidency, the National Assembly and other oversight bodies.
It questioned how an entity now publicly disowned by the Presidency was able to secure an allocation of more than ₦1.3 billion without being detected by any of these institutions.
The organisation said that whether the allocation resulted from administrative negligence, deliberate manipulation or institutional compromise, Nigerians deserve a full and transparent explanation.
“The credibility of the national budget as the country’s foremost fiscal policy document depends on the integrity of the processes through which public resources are allocated,” BudgIT stated.
Agencies Urged to Take Action
BudgIT called on the Presidency, the Budget Office of the Federation, the National Assembly, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, anti-corruption agencies and law enforcement authorities to immediately launch an independent investigation into the controversial allocation.
According to the organisation, the investigation should determine how the purported agency was included in the 2026 federal budget, identify all public officials and institutions involved in the approval process, establish whether any public funds have already been released to the agency, and ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted in accordance with the law.
BudgIT warned that repeated breaches of budget integrity threaten public confidence in Nigeria’s fiscal governance and insisted that greater transparency, stronger oversight and comprehensive reforms are necessary to prevent similar incidents in future budget cycles.
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