Divergent positions by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) have deepened concerns over transparency in government.
The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged funding of a fictitious government agency in the 2026 budget.
The Senate on the other hand has resolved to await the outcome of an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before taking action on the controversy surrounding the agency and its inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
In recent weeks, allegations and counter-allegations over the creation and funding of a purported government agency, the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), have dominated both conventional and social media.
But the handling of the issue by the government and the law enforcement agencies has continued to euden the trust deficit as most Nigerians say actions and pronouncements of some government officials suggest that some people are being shielded from taking responsibility.
Also, the perceived ineptitude of the National Assembly, to some Nigerians leaves much to be desired from the representatives of the people.
The House of Representatives has mandated an ad hoc committee to interface with the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Director-General of the Budget Office, and other relevant government officials.
The controversy was brought before the House by Plateau State lawmaker, Yusuf Gagdi, through a motion of urgent public importance, calling on Parliament to unravel the circumstances surrounding the agency.
Gagdi expressed concern over reports that more than ₦1.3 billion was allocated to the unrecognised agency in the 2026 budget.
Lawmakers described the development as a serious threat to the credibility of the nation’s budget process, insisting that anyone found culpable must be held accountable.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, whose photograph with the Director-General of the organisation has circulated publicly, also backed the probe, saying a thorough investigation is necessary to protect the integrity of public institutions.
He disclosed that his office had received correspondence from the organisation, which presented itself as a presidency-linked body operating from the Federal Secretariat.
The House will also receive briefings from relevant security and anti-corruption agencies, while ensuring it does not interfere with any ongoing litigation.
But the upper chamberbwiuod rather wait fir theboutcome of investigation set up by the same government.
The decision followed a motion sponsored by Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu (Kano South) on the urgent need to investigate the budgetary allocation, operations and controversy surrounding the purported PFIPC in order to safeguard the integrity of the Senate and the Federal Government.
Presenting the motion under Order 9, Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders 2026, Kawu described the matter as one of grave institutional concern, warning that it poses a serious threat to the credibility of the Senate, the National Assembly and the Federal Government’s budgetary process.
He noted that despite public statements by senior Presidency officials describing the PFIPC as fake, fictitious and unauthorised, the entity was included in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001 with an allocation of N1.302 billion.
According to the senator, the allocation comprised N802.98 million for personnel costs, N200 million for overhead expenses and N300 million for capital expenditure, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the budget preparation and appropriation process.
Kawu argued that unless the circumstances surrounding the inclusion of the PFIPC are thoroughly investigated, public confidence in both the budgetary process and the oversight responsibilities of the National Assembly would continue to erode.
He urged the Senate to strongly condemn what he described as administrative lapses, internal collaboration or possible fraudulent schemes that enabled a purportedly non-existent agency to be captured in the national budget.
The lawmaker also proposed that the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, as well as Appropriations, be mandated to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
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Responding to the motion, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, advised against launching an immediate parliamentary probe, noting that President Bola Tinubu had already directed the ICPC to carry out a full investigation.
Barau said the issue could have been presented as a substantive motion through the Senate Committee on Rules and Business but maintained that the Presidency had already activated the appropriate investigative process.
“The Presidency has taken up this matter by directing that the ICPC should investigate fully how this matter came to be. The marching order has been given and I think the ICPC has started.
“To me, I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” he said.
The Senate subsequently adopted the proposal to await the ICPC’s findings before deciding on further legislative action regarding the PFIPC controversy.
On Tuesday, Tinubu ordered the ICPC to launch a comprehensive probe into the activities of the PFIPC and all matters connected to the controversy surrounding the agency.
The President ordered that the investigation be concluded and a detailed report submitted to him within 30 days.
The controversy centres on Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims he was lawfully appointed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), despite the Presidency’s insistence that no such government agency exists.
Adeyemi alleged that the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, received ₦400 million through a proxy and later demanded an additional ₦200 million to facilitate his appointment.
He also argued that the PFIPC exists, citing its inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, and called on President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent panel to investigate the matter, saying he is prepared to defend his allegations in court.
The Presidency, however, rejected the claims, with the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, describing Adeyemi as an impostor.
It alleged that he forged appointment documents, impersonated a government official, fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account and operated under a non-existent government agency.
The Presidency also disclosed that police investigations led to an eight-count criminal charge against Adeyemi and two others, with the matter scheduled for hearing on July 27.
Separately, Gbajabiamila threatened a ₦10 billion defamation suit against Adeyemi over allegations of bribery and murder.
In a letter signed by his counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, the Chief of Staff demanded that Adeyemi remove all videos and comments containing the allegations within 72 hours, publish a retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and on social media, and undertake not to make any further defamatory statements.
Pinheiro described the allegations as “malicious, reckless and entirely without factual foundation” and warned that failure to comply with the demands within the stipulated period would result in legal proceedings, including a criminal defamation complaint in line with applicable laws of the Federal Capital Territory.