Fake agency scandal: Abbas inaugurates House probe panel today

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is expected to inaugurate an ad hoc committee today to investigate the controversial inclusion of the unestablished Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The inauguration and public hearing will be held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja under the powers granted to the National Assembly by Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorise investigations into the administration of public institutions and the use of public funds.

The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, who represents Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, was constituted after the House resolved to investigate how about N1.32 billion was allocated to an agency that had not been legally established.

The investigation follows the arrest of Adeyemi Adeniyi, who allegedly posed as the Director-General of the PFIPC and is accused of facilitating the agency’s inclusion in the 2026 federal budget despite its non-existence.

The controversy intensified after Adeniyi allegedly claimed he paid N100 million through intermediaries to the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to facilitate the agency’s establishment. Both the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff have denied the allegation.

According to the committee’s invitation, the public hearing will bring together key government officials, ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organisations, professional bodies, development partners, the media and members of the public.

Those invited include the Ministers of Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment, Justice, and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the chairmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, and the Auditor-General for the Federation.

Also invited are the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, the Director-General of the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police.

The committee has also called for memoranda from stakeholders and members of the public to assist its investigation.

Its mandate includes determining how the PFIPC was included in the 2026 budget despite lacking legal backing and tracing the allocation through the budget process to identify where it was introduced.

However, the committee has come under criticism for not inviting Gbajabiamila or Adeniyi to testify.

A member of the panel, who spoke anonymously, questioned the omission, arguing that the two central figures in the controversy should have been among the first witnesses invited. The lawmaker warned that excluding them could create the impression of bias.

Public affairs analyst Jackson Ojo also criticised the decision, saying inviting the President’s Chief of Staff would have provided an opportunity for him to publicly clear his name and strengthen confidence in the investigation.

The House constituted the panel following public concern over alleged irregularities in the 2026 budget, particularly the allocation of more than N1 billion to an agency the government says does not legally exist.