Explosive Budget Revelation: 'Fake' Item Sneaked In Under Buhari

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is actively probing the National Assembly over controversial budgetary provisions allocated to a 'phantom' entity known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) or Presidential Foreign Intervention Council (PFIC), which has institutional origins in the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) inaugurated in October 2019. This investigation involves the interrogation of officials from relevant Standing Committees of both the Senate and House of Representatives, aiming to ascertain their oversight roles in the budget scrutiny process.

During an investigative hearing by an Ad-hoc Committee, Dr. Yakubu Tanimu, Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, formally confirmed that the Council's budgetary provisions entered the budget through official instruments. He elaborated that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (oAGF) had assigned an administrative budget code, providing the Council with its identity within the Federal Government’s financial framework. This came to light during inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the inclusion of provisions for the Council, which is reportedly headed by a self-acclaimed Director General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Dr. Tanimu clarified that the Budget Office did not create the Council, assign its code, approve its establishment, or grant its recruitment waiver. Instead, it received official instruments and, as required by law, measured their fiscal effect. He explained that while the Council submitted a personnel estimate of N3.8 billion, the Budget Office disregarded this figure and made an independent calculation based on authorized establishment, approved recruitment waivers, and applicable public service salary structures, ultimately proposing N802,978,783 for personnel costs.

A critical point emphasized by Dr. Tanimu was the distinction between appropriation and expenditure. He asserted that an appropriation is merely the beginning of a legal process, and public money does not move simply because a figure appears in an Appropriation Act. Expenditure occurs only when a strict chain of controls is successfully navigated, involving financial clearance, lawful recruitment, payroll enrollment, treasury warranting, cash backing, and procurement approvals, each controlled by different institutions.

For the PFIPC/PFIC, these crucial conditions were incomplete, preventing any funds from becoming actual expenditure. Dr. Tanimu stated that the Budget Office did not issue financial clearance for the Council. This was due to several outstanding conditions, including the fact that the 2026 Appropriation bill did not become law until presidential assent on March 31, 2026. Furthermore, the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission had not confirmed that the proposed staffing and remuneration arrangements complied with its prescribed template and the approved public service compensation framework.

Consequently, the N802,978,783 personnel provision never translated into payroll expenditure, as no financial clearance was issued, no lawful recruitment took place, no payroll record was created, and no salaries became due. Similarly, the N200 million overhead provision never matured into a cash entitlement as warranting and cash backing were not completed. The N300 million capital provision also never became procurement or capital expenditure, as it halted before procurement plans, tenders board actions, and Bureau of Public Procurement certificates of no objection were issued.

In a demonstration of the system's safeguards, Dr. Tanimu highlighted that in June 2026, when doubts arose about the Council's legal status, the Budget Office formally notified the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to withhold all instruments that could support payment. This action effectively closed the route to release, ensuring that not one kobo of the appropriated funds was unlawfully drawn or expended. The system, therefore, prevented a loss rather than chasing one after the fact.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, confirmed that the controversial appropriation was passed by the National Assembly but announced that Chairmen of relevant Standing Committees overseeing the Presidency budget would be invited for further scrutiny. Adding to the gravity of the situation, Committee member Hon. Abubakar Fulata questioned the authenticity of the