BudgIT Seeks Probe Of N1.3bn PFIPC Budget Allocation

BudgIT has called for an independent investigation into the controversial allocation of N1.302 billion to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), also known as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), in the 2026 Appropriation Act, warning that the incident exposes deep flaws in Nigeria’s budgeting process.

The civic technology organisation said the allocation, which has become the subject of public controversy after the Presidency distanced itself from the agency, raises serious concerns over the integrity of the federal budget and the effectiveness of oversight by government institutions.

The call followed allegations that surfaced on Wednesday after the Director General of the PFIPC/PEAC, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, claimed he paid N400 million to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment.

Reacting to the allegation, the Presidency, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed Adeyemi as a “criminal impostor” and maintained that no such agency exists under the Presidency.

However, BudgIT said the Presidency’s position has opened up more questions than answers. In a statement, the organisation queried how an agency now declared non existent was able to obtain office space within the Federal Secretariat, operate multiple Central Bank of Nigeria accounts, secure over N1.3 billion in the 2026 budget, pass through the various stages of the federal appropriation process and engage government institutions, development partners and diplomatic missions before its legitimacy was challenged.

According to BudgIT, its review of previous Appropriation Acts showed that neither the PFIPC nor the PEAC appeared as a budgeted entity under the Presidency in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets, making its emergence in the 2026 Appropriation Act deserving of urgent scrutiny.

BudgIT noted that the development reinforces longstanding concerns over persistent weaknesses in Nigeria’s budget process, citing recurring cases of unexplained budget insertions and inadequate legislative scrutiny.

It recalled that its report on National Assembly insertions into the 2025 budget uncovered 11,122 projects valued at N6.93 trillion inserted without sufficient justification, representing about 12.5 per cent of the N54.99 trillion federal budget.

BudgIT argued that the latest controversy goes beyond allegations against individuals and instead points to what it described as a collapse of institutional safeguards meant to protect public funds.

It explained that the federal budget undergoes several layers of scrutiny involving Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Presidency, the National Assembly and other oversight institutions.

According to the organisation, the successful appropriation of over N1.3 billion to an entity now publicly disowned by the Presidency raises troubling questions about how all these oversight mechanisms failed.

“Whether the allocation resulted from administrative negligence, deliberate manipulation, or institutional compromise, Nigerians deserve a transparent explanation. Public confidence in the budget as the country’s foremost fiscal policy document depends on the credibility of the processes through which public funds are allocated,” the statement said.

BudgIT urged 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 and relevant anti corruption and law enforcement agencies to immediately commence an independent investigation into the allocation.

It said the probe should establish how the purported agency found its way into the federal budget, identify all public officials and institutions involved in the appropriation process, determine whether any funds had already been released and ensure that anyone found culpable is sanctioned in line with the law.

The organisation stressed that restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s budget process requires greater transparency, accountability and comprehensive institutional reforms to prevent future breaches of budget integrity.