BudgIT demands probe into ₦1.3bn allocation to ‘fake’ presidential agency

BudgIT has called for an urgent independent investigation into the ₦1.302 billion allocation made to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The civic-tech organisation, in a statement signed by its Country Director, Vahyala Kwaga, said the development raised serious concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s budgeting process and the effectiveness of oversight across key public institutions.

BudgIT said the controversy followed allegations that surfaced on social media on Wednesday, July 1, after the Director-General of PFIPC/PEAC, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, allegedly claimed that he paid ₦400 million to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment.

The Presidency, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had dismissed the claims, describing Adeyemi as a “criminal impostor” and insisting that the purported agency does not exist under the Presidency.

However, BudgIT said the Presidency’s disclaimer had opened up deeper questions requiring urgent public clarification.

The organisation queried how an agency described as fictitious could allegedly secure office space within the Federal Secretariat, operate several Central Bank of Nigeria accounts, receive a budgetary allocation of over ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, pass through the various stages of the federal budget process, and engage government institutions, development partners and diplomatic missions before its legitimacy was publicly questioned.

BudgIT said its review of previous Appropriation Acts showed that PFIPC/PEAC did not exist as a budgeted entity under the Presidency in the 2023, 2024 or 2025 Appropriation Acts.

According to the organisation, the appearance of the entity in the 2026 budget therefore raises legitimate concerns about the process through which it was introduced and approved.

The statement read in part: “This incident reflects longstanding concerns about weaknesses in Nigeria’s budgeting process. Over the years, BudgIT has consistently documented unexplained budget insertions, weak legislative scrutiny, and recurring irregularities that undermine transparency and accountability in public expenditure.”

BudgIT recalled that in its report on National Assembly insertions in the 2025 budget, it uncovered 11,122 projects worth ₦6.93 trillion allegedly inserted by the National Assembly without adequate justification, representing about 12.5 per cent of the ₦54.99 trillion federal budget.

It said such findings pointed to systemic vulnerabilities that continued to expose public resources to abuse.

The organisation stressed that beyond the allegations involving individuals, the more fundamental issue was the apparent breakdown of institutional safeguards designed to protect public resources.

It noted that the federal budgeting process involved multiple layers of review across 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 relevant oversight institutions.

BudgIT said the successful appropriation of over ₦1.3 billion to an entity now publicly disowned by the Presidency raised troubling questions about how these safeguards failed simultaneously.

“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 added.

BudgIT therefore 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, and relevant anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to immediately institute an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the allocation.

The organisation said the investigation should establish how the purported agency was introduced into the federal budget, identify all public officials and institutions involved at every stage of the appropriation process, determine whether any public funds had been disbursed, and ensure that anyone found culpable is held accountable in accordance with the law.

It warned that Nigeria could not continue to normalise recurring breaches of budget integrity, adding that restoring public trust would require transparency, accountability and decisive institutional reforms to strengthen oversight and safeguard public resources.