The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has clarified that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) does not operate an active account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and has not received any public funds or salary payments from the Federal Government.
The clarification comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the legal status of the PFIPC, which the Presidency has repeatedly described as a non-existent government agency.
The Office of the Chief of Staff to the President had earlier stated that the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) were fictitious entities and denied appointing anyone to head either organisation. It also identified the council’s convener, Adeniyi Adeyemi, as an impostor currently facing criminal prosecution.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga had previously alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to mislead officials and initiate the process of opening a CBN account, while maintaining that no government funds were ever paid into the account.
In response, OAGF Director of Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, explained that although an account-opening process was initiated, it was never completed because the required documentation needed to activate the account was not submitted.
He stressed that no account can become operational at the Central Bank without the approval of the Accountant-General and compliance with all necessary administrative procedures.
According to Mokwa, the process began after Adeyemi presented an appointment letter relating to what was believed to be an existing government agency. However, the account remained inactive because details of the authorised signatories were never provided.
He emphasized that the Federal Government could not have transferred any public funds to the organisation since there was no operational account through which such payments could be made.
Mokwa also dismissed reports suggesting that the council had received budgetary allocations or paid salaries to workers. He explained that although there were reports of a recruitment waiver, the agency had not completed the statutory processes required to employ staff or access government funding.
He noted that federal agencies must first obtain approvals from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office and the Federal Civil Service Commission before employees can be enrolled on the government’s payroll through the Office of the Accountant-General.
According to him, none of those procedures had been concluded, making it impossible for the council to receive public funds or place any employee on the federal salary structure.
