Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has said the Office of the SGF would have failed in its responsibilities if it processed documents from an agency that lacks legal recognition.
Speaking during a television interview on Monday, Lawal explained that every federal agency is expected to pass through established verification procedures before any official correspondence is treated as legitimate. According to him, the SGF’s office should be able to confirm whether an agency has legal backing before forwarding its requests.
He noted that agencies are created through a formal process involving presidential approval, deliberation by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and, where necessary, legislation by the National Assembly to establish their legal status and funding.
Lawal argued that if an agency has no official records within the SGF’s office, it should immediately raise concerns during the due diligence process. He maintained that such an entity should never have been allowed to progress through official government channels.
Commenting on reports that the Office of the SGF forwarded correspondence from the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, Lawal questioned why the request was processed if the agency had not been legally established.
He also raised concerns over how the alleged agency reportedly obtained a budget code and advanced through the federal budgeting process. According to him, assigning a budget code requires approval within the government’s financial management system, making it difficult for a non-existent agency to receive one without institutional failures or deliberate compromise.
Lawal described the situation as more than an administrative lapse, suggesting there could be a wider network of officials involved. He stressed that budget proposals normally pass through several stages, including scrutiny by the Budget Office and the SGF, before reaching the National Assembly.
The former SGF further questioned claims that the agency received a ₦27.5 billion take-off grant before any approved budget allocation. He asked who authorized the release of the funds and through which official process the payment was approved, insisting that these questions deserve urgent answers.
According to him, the alleged fraud only became public because of disagreements over the sharing of funds rather than because existing government oversight mechanisms detected the irregularities.
Lawal called for a judicial inquiry into the matter instead of limiting investigations to an administrative review. He also said it would be appropriate for any senior officials under investigation to temporarily step aside, describing such action as standard practice.
He criticized the National Assembly for allegedly failing to thoroughly examine budget proposals, arguing that stronger legislative oversight could have prevented questionable allocations from passing unnoticed.
The former SGF further claimed that reports of appointments being influenced by financial interests have circulated for some time, although he said he was unaware of such practices during his tenure in office.
Lawal concluded that the controversy highlights broader weaknesses in governance, alleging that multiple power centres and weak institutional controls have created loopholes that allow questionable transactions to occur. He insisted that investigators should focus on identifying those responsible for enabling the alleged agency to operate and access public funds despite concerns over its legal status.
