The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has expanded its probe, summoning the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), key ministers and heads of several government agencies over the establishment, funding and operations of the alleged council.
The fresh summons followed new revelations that emerged during the committee’s hearing with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, who distanced her office from the allocation of office space to the PFIPC, insisting the accommodation occupied by the council belonged to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), said the SGF would be required to explain how office accommodation officially allocated to his office came to be occupied by the PFIPC, despite repeated claims by the Presidency that the council was never established by law.
The committee also directed the Inspector-General of Police to appear alongside investigators handling the case to brief lawmakers on the progress of the ongoing investigation, including individuals linked to the activities of the controversial council.
Among those summoned are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Accountant-General of the Federation, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
According to Gagdi, the affected officials are expected to explain their respective roles in matters relating to the PFIPC as lawmakers intensify efforts to unravel how the council was established, staffed, funded and allowed to operate from the Federal Secretariat.
The committee further directed the Nigeria Police Force to produce two individuals, Patricia Akibe and Joko Oduwayefe, whose names reportedly appeared in documents submitted before the panel, as investigations into the operations of the council continue.
The latest development comes barely days after the House inaugurated the ad-hoc committee to investigate how the PFIPC, which the Federal Government insists does not exist, was allocated over ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The panel is also investigating how the council secured office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat and interacted with several government institutions despite lacking legal backing.
During the inauguration of the committee, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, represented by House Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere, said the investigation was not politically motivated but aimed at protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s public institutions and budgetary process. Gagdi assured Nigerians that the panel would conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into the matter.
The PFIPC controversy erupted after the Presidency declared that no such agency exists under the Federal Government, following allegations that the organisation fraudulently secured budgetary allocations and operated from government premises using forged official documents.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter, while criminal charges have also been filed against the alleged promoter of the council.
The House committee is expected to continue its public hearing as it seeks to determine how the purported agency gained official recognition, accessed government facilities and found its way into the 2026 budget despite having no legal instrument establishing it.
