Fake agency scandal: Reps grill Accountant-General today

Nigeria's House of Representatives is delving into its third week of investigating a shadowy organization, the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC). Lawmakers are scrutinizing how this entity, which the federal government itself deems non-existent, allegedly secured office space within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and received a substantial budgetary allocation of over N1.32 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

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The committee, chaired by the lawmaker representing Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, is probing how an organisation the Federal Government has described as non-existent allegedly secured official office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and received a budgetary allocation of more than N1.32bn in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The ad hoc committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, is particularly focused on the processes that allowed the PFIPC to obtain a government budget code. Today, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, faces questioning to explain how this occurred, despite the agency's dubious legal status. His testimony is expected to shed light on the bureaucratic and financial procedures that facilitated the PFIPC's inclusion in the national expenditure framework.

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At today’s hearing, Ogunjimi is expected to explain the processes through which the PFIPC obtained a government budget code, a development that enabled the agency to appear in the national budget despite questions surrounding its legal status.

The investigation has already heard from several high-ranking officials, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Tanimu Yakubu. Their testimonies have pointed to significant lapses in administrative oversight that seemingly enabled the PFIPC to operate as if it had official government backing.

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Among those who have appeared before the lawmakers are the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack; the Director of Banking Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abdullahi Hamisu; and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Tanimu Yakubu.

Public attention intensified following the arrest of Mr Adeyemi Adeniyi, who claimed to be the PFIPC's Director-General. He was apprehended by the Nigeria Police Force after allegedly stating he paid N400 million through an intermediary to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment. This allegation has raised serious questions about transparency and accountability within the government.

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Adeniyi was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force after allegedly claiming that he paid N400m through an intermediary to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, to facilitate his appointment as head of the council.