Fresh revelations have emerged on how the alleged promoters of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an agency said to have operated without legal recognition, allegedly used a federal budget code to project legitimacy within government circles.
The details were contained in an exclusive report by Western Post Nigeria, which cited sources familiar with the ongoing investigation into the activities of the council and its alleged mastermind, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
According to the report, investigators believe the budget code played a critical role in giving the agency an appearance of authenticity, despite lacking legal backing to function as a government institution.
“The budget code gave the impression that the agency was genuine. That was one of the major things that made the operation look legitimate,” a source said.
The source disclosed that the budget code also allegedly enabled the organisation to obtain office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, although such allocations are expected to follow approvals from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation before final clearance by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Investigators are reportedly seeking to determine how the agency circumvented the established procedures and operated from government premises without official authorisation.
The source further claimed that an earlier police investigation revealed that members of the organisation allegedly broke into an office belonging to the Economic Advisory Council during the early phase of its operations.
Although reports had suggested that the agency employed about 300 workers, the source clarified that only about 14 persons actually managed its activities, noting that approval for the larger recruitment request was never granted.
“Only about 14 persons actually ran the operations of the agency. The request to employ 300 people was never approved,” the source added.
Another source familiar with the investigation said the matter has exposed wider institutional weaknesses beyond the actions of the agency's alleged promoters.
According to the source, investigators are examining how an organisation without legal status allegedly appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of about ₦1.3 billion, secured office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat and reportedly operated bank accounts while presenting itself as a government agency.
“This is no longer just about one individual. The bigger issue is how a non-existent agency allegedly got into the national budget, occupied government office space and functioned within the system for such a long time. Those are the institutional failures investigators are now trying to unravel,” the source said.
Preliminary findings reportedly indicate that the budgetary allocation may have entered the appropriation process without undergoing the normal scrutiny and defence before the relevant committees, raising concerns over the integrity of the budget process.
Investigators are also probing how allegedly forged appointment documents were accepted without proper verification, allowing the organisation to operate openly from the Federal Secretariat.
The probe is further focusing on claims that the agency maintained multiple bank accounts, including accounts reportedly linked to the Central Bank of Nigeria, prompting questions over compliance with Know Your Customer procedures and other financial verification requirements.
The source added that investigators believe the controversy has exposed gaps in budget scrutiny, appointment verification and banking due diligence, with recommendations for reforms expected at the end of the investigation.
President Bola Tinubu has directed security and anti-corruption agencies to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the controversy surrounding the PFIPC, with a mandate to establish how the agency allegedly obtained a budget code, appeared in the national budget, secured office accommodation and operated within the Federal Secretariat despite lacking legal recognition.
Source: Western Post Nigeria
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