The Budget Office of the Federation has confirmed that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council entered the 2026 budget through official government instruments originating from the Presidential Economic Advisory Council established under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Director-General of the Budget Office, Dr. Yakubu Tanimu, disclosed this on Friday during a resumed investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the council’s inclusion in the federal budget.
Tanimu, however, maintained that no funds were released or spent on the council, stressing that all legal and financial safeguards preventing expenditure were effectively enforced.
The clarification comes amid ongoing investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which has been interrogating National Assembly officials over their oversight roles in the budget process.
Addressing lawmakers, Tanimu explained that the council’s presence in the budget was based on official instruments issued by relevant authorities, including the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, which assigned it an administrative code.
He added that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had approved an establishment structure and recruitment waiver, while the applicable salary framework was already in place before the Budget Office made its fiscal projections.
“The Budget Office did not create the council. It received official instruments and carried out its statutory responsibility of costing their fiscal implications,” he said.
Tanimu disclosed that while the council proposed N3.8bn for personnel costs, the Budget Office independently reduced the figure to N802.98m in line with approved structures and public service salary benchmarks.
He emphasised that appropriation does not equate to expenditure, noting that several legal conditions must be met before public funds can be released.
“Public money does not move because a figure appears in an Appropriation Act. It moves only when the law permits it,” he said.
According to him, key requirements such as financial clearance, lawful recruitment, payroll enrolment, treasury warrants, and procurement approvals were never fulfilled in the case of the PFIPC.
“As a result, not one kobo of the personnel provision could lawfully have been drawn, and not one kobo was drawn,” he stated.
Tanimu further explained that personnel funds are not released as lump sums to agencies but paid monthly to verified employees on the federal payroll, a process that never commenced for the council.
He added that overhead and capital allocations also failed to materialise into spending due to the absence of treasury warrants, cash backing, and procurement approvals.
“In June 2026, when doubts arose about the legal status of the council, the Budget Office formally advised the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General’s Office to halt all payment processes,” he said.
Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, confirmed that the National Assembly had appropriated funds for the council but said relevant committee chairmen overseeing the Presidency’s budget would be invited for further scrutiny.
Meanwhile, a member of the panel, Hon. Abubakar Fulata, questioned the authenticity of documents backing the council’s appropriation, noting the absence of a gazette number, Clerk of the National Assembly’s endorsement, and presidential assent.
“The purported Act is not genuine. It lacks key legal features required of a valid Act of Parliament,” Fulata said.
Responding, Tanimu insisted that the Budget Office relied strictly on establishment approvals, recruitment waivers, and salary structures from competent authorities in its calculations.
“We do not rely on correspondence from agencies seeking funds. Our computations are based on authorised establishment and directives from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission,” he added.
Gagdi, in his ruling, disclosed that the Accountant-General of the Federation would appear before the committee on Monday to explain how the council obtained its budget code.
He assured that the panel would conclude its investigation within the week.
“By the special grace of God, we will conclude our findings and finish by next week,” he said.