The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has clarified that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) does not have an operational account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stressing that no public funds have been released to the council.
The clarification follows reports that the Federal Government granted the PFIPC approval to recruit 300 staff members in August 2025.
The council also appears in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the Presidency as part of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, with a total allocation of ₦1.303 billion.
The budget comprises ₦802.98 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overhead expenses, and ₦300 million for capital projects.
Speaking over the weekend, the OAGF’s Director of Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, dismissed claims that government funds or salaries had been paid to the council.
According to Mokwa, although an application was submitted to open a CBN account for the PFIPC, the process was never completed because the required documentation, including the names of authorised account signatories, was not provided.
“You cannot open an account at the CBN without authorization from the Accountant-General,” he said. “The process was initiated, but the account has never become operational.”
Mokwa explained that Adeniyi Adeyemi, the council’s convener, had approached the OAGF with an appointment letter.
However, he alleged that the document presented related to an already existing agency rather than the PFIPC. While the account-opening process began based on the submitted documents, it could not be finalised due to incomplete requirements.
He stressed that without an operational account, there was no mechanism through which the Accountant-General’s Office could disburse government funds to the council.
“The account, till today, has not seen the light of day. It has not seen one kobo because the account is not completely operational,” Mokwa said.
“That shows he has not collected a dime. The Accountant-General has not released any money because there is no operational account into which funds can be paid.”
Mokwa further explained that although the council has a budgetary provision under the 2026 Appropriation Act, the funding process has not advanced to the stage where any allocation can be released.
He also denied reports that the PFIPC had begun paying salaries or recruiting staff.
“Based on our knowledge, he has not employed anybody,” he stated.
The OAGF spokesperson outlined the statutory recruitment process for federal agencies, noting that approvals must first be obtained from the Federal Character Commission (FCC), the Budget Office, and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) before any recruitment can proceed.
Only after these approvals are secured can the names of newly recruited employees be forwarded to the Office of the Accountant-General for enrollment on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and subsequent salary payments.
“If they give you a waiver for 200 people, you take the waiver to these agencies and then present the papers to the Accountant-General,” Mokwa explained.
“He cannot capture even one name without those approvals because once they are captured, payment will come from the budget.”
He maintained that none of these statutory requirements had been fulfilled, reiterating that no funds have been released and no employees have been enrolled on the federal payroll.
