Calls for Transparency Amid PFIPC 'Ghost Agency' Controversy Involving President's Chief of Staff
The revelation of a non-existent federal agency, the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), in Nigeria's 2026 budget has sparked public outcry and demands for investigation, implicating the office of the President's Chief of Staff.
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The Nigerian government faces growing scrutiny over the inclusion of a non-existent federal agency—the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)—in the 2026 Appropriation Act, prompting calls for transparency and accountability. The presidency has publicly stated that the PFIPC does not exist, yet its name appeared in official budget documents, raising serious questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s budgetary process.
This Day, in an editorial titled Adeyemi-Gbajabiamila Controversy: Let’s Have Full Transparency, Please, described the unfolding situation as a 'colourful tale' that 'deserves a thorough investigation.' The editorial emphasized that the controversy is damaging to President Bola Tinubu’s administration and undermines public trust in governance.
The controversy has drawn attention to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who is reportedly entangled in the growing political storm. A separate This Day article, Gbajabiamila and His Multi-Dimensional Foes, notes that while Gbajabiamila is no stranger to political crises, this episode may involve 'entrenched principalities' and high-level institutional actors. The piece suggests the issue extends beyond bureaucratic error, pointing to deeper systemic vulnerabilities.
Journalist Enitan Bello, in a report titled Curious Matters Arising on the PFIPC Saga, independently reviewed Nigeria’s budget documents from 2019 to the present and found no prior record of the PFIPC, reinforcing claims that the agency was fabricated. The absence of any historical trace of the council adds weight to allegations of financial impropriety or deliberate obfuscation.
Waziri Adio, in a postscript titled Oversight Gaps and PFIPC’s Royal Mess, described the scandal as a 'monumental mess' regardless of how it is ultimately resolved. He highlighted the failure of oversight mechanisms that allowed a non-existent agency to be included in a national budget, calling into question the effectiveness of legislative and financial controls.
Another This Day article, From Ghost Workers to ‘Ghost’ Agency, directly linked the PFIPC controversy to a broader pattern of fiscal mismanagement, comparing it to past scandals involving 'ghost workers' in the civil service. The inclusion of a fictional agency in the budget, the report noted, 'has questioned the integrity of Nigeria’s annual budgets.'