We did not Released Koko to PEAC/PFIPC Despite N1.3bn Budget – Budget Office DG Tells Reps

The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, has told the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) that no public funds were released or spent on the council despite provisions made for it in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Appearing before the committee, Yakubu said public discourse had wrongly equated budgetary appropriation with actual expenditure, stressing that inclusion in the budget does not automatically translate into the release or payment of government funds.

He explained that several statutory approvals must be secured before any public money can be spent, with separate institutions responsible for recruitment, remuneration, financial clearance, Treasury releases and procurement.

According to him, the Budget Office neither created nor approved the establishment of the council but merely discharged its statutory responsibility by assessing the fiscal implications of proposals submitted through official government channels.

Yakubu disclosed that although the council requested N3.85 billion for personnel costs, the Budget Office reviewed the proposal and reduced it to N802.98 million based on approved staffing levels and existing public service salary structures.

He, however, noted that Financial Clearance was never issued because the legal requirements for recruitment, including confirmation by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, were not met.

“Without Financial Clearance, there could be no lawful recruitment, payroll enrolment or salary payments. Not one kobo of the personnel allocation was spent,” he said.

The Budget Office DG further revealed that the council’s N200 million overhead allocation was never released, as no Treasury warrant, cash backing or payment approval was issued.

He added that following concerns over the council’s legal status in June 2026, the Budget Office directed the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to suspend all payment processes relating to the council.

Yakubu also stated that the N300 million capital allocation never advanced to the procurement stage because the required approvals, Treasury warrant and cash backing were never obtained.

He maintained that statutory safeguards at every stage of the public finance process prevented any expenditure under the PEAC/PFIPC.

The Budget Office, he said, would continue to cooperate with the House committee by providing all relevant documents, insisting that there are no funds to recover because no money was ever released or spent under the council’s appropriation.