Senate moves to probe N1.3bn budget allocation to PFIPC

…Awaits ICPC report

By Haruna Salami

The Senate on Wednesday moved to investigate the inclusion of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act, following allegations that the agency is not recognised by the Federal Government despite receiving a budgetary allocation of over N1.3 billion.

The motion, sponsored by Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu (Kano South), was presented as a matter of urgent national importance under the Senate Standing Orders.

Leading the debate, Senator Kawu said the controversy surrounding the PFIPC had raised serious concerns about the integrity of the National Assembly’s appropriation process and the credibility of the Federal Government.

He noted that although senior Presidency officials had publicly described the PFIPC as a fake, fictitious and unauthorised organisation and reportedly directed security agencies to arrest its self-acclaimed officials for alleged forgery and impersonation, the entity was still captured in the 2026 Appropriation Act under Budget Code 0111062001 with an allocation of N1,302,978,784.

According to him, the allocation comprises N802,978,784 for personnel costs, N200 million for overhead, and N300 million for capital expenditure.

Kawu expressed concern that the inclusion of an allegedly non-existent agency in the national budget had exposed weaknesses in the budget preparation and appropriation process, undermined public confidence in the National Assembly and subjected the Federal Government to criticism over transparency, accountability and fiscal governance.

He warned that failure to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the allocation could further erode confidence in the Senate’s oversight responsibilities and the integrity of the nation’s budgeting process.

The Senate, in the motion, condemned what it described as administrative lapses, internal collaboration or fraudulent actions that led to the inclusion of the purported agency in the 2026 budget.

It also proposed that the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, and Appropriations be mandated to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

The investigation is expected to determine how the N1.302 billion allocation was proposed, scrutinised, justified and approved; identify the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and public officials responsible for facilitating the agency’s inclusion in the budget; and ascertain whether any funds have been released, committed or spent under the budget line, including whether any bank account has been opened or operated for the purported agency.

However, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin who presided over Wednesday plenary said since Senator Kawu came under privilege instead of going through the rules and business committee to list it as a substantive motion, the matter could not be discussed.

He said the “the presidency has taken up this matter by directing that the ICPC should investigate fully how this matter came and I believe that uh what we need to do at this stage is to await report of the ICPC and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriately”.