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| adeyemi adeniyi |
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has faulted the Budget Office of the Federation for including the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in Nigeria’s 2026 federal budget without adequate due diligence.
According to the commission’s investigation report, the Budget Office processed and onboarded the non-existent agency despite gaps in its documentation and without independently verifying the legal instrument that supposedly established it. The federal government has maintained that the PFIPC never existed and that Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as its Director-General, was never appointed.
The ICPC found that the Budget Office relied on an administrative code issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and establishment-related documents attributed to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. It did not independently confirm the authenticity of these documents or establish the council’s legal existence. One key document in its file was a scanned copy rather than a direct official communication.
A budget proposal submitted on behalf of the PFIPC in August 2025 sought N3.85 billion for personnel costs. Because there was no approved salary structure from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Budget Office recalculated the figures using the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure. It arrived at a total allocation of N1.3 billion — N802 million for personnel, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital. The PFIPC itself did not submit estimates for overhead or capital; the Budget Office determined those amounts based on comparisons with similar agencies.
Investigators noted that the Budget Office’s Standard Operating Procedure required officers to check submissions for completeness, identify deficiencies and escalate them. These safeguards were not effectively applied. The proposal lacked key supporting documents, yet processing continued through informal engagements. The relevant Standard Operating Procedure was also overdue for review.
The ICPC concluded that these control gaps allowed a fictitious agency to enter the national budget. It recommended stricter onboarding requirements, including mandatory submission and independent verification of establishment instruments before any new agency is included.
Importantly, the commission found no evidence that the N1.3 billion allocation was released, cash-backed or spent. Expenditure controls prevented actual disbursement. Adeyemi faces an eight-count charge of forgery and impersonation; he has denied the allegations and said he will prove his case in court.
The findings form part of a wider scandal that has also led to the discovery of another alleged fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the suspension of three permanent secretaries.