The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to release documents relating to the approval of more than ₦1.3 billion reportedly allocated to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)/Presidential Economic Advisory Council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the organisation also urged the National Assembly to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the allocation, following claims by the Presidency that the council does not exist.
SERAP requested certified copies of records showing how the allocation was considered and approved, including details of the lawmakers who handled the budget proposal and the government officials who appeared before the relevant committees during the appropriation process.
The organisation further asked the National Assembly to clarify whether the allocation was included in the Executive’s original budget proposal or introduced during legislative deliberations. It also sought information on whether any concerns were raised about the legal status or operational mandate of the council before the funds were approved.
According to SERAP, the conflicting claims over the existence of the council raise serious questions about the transparency and credibility of Nigeria’s budget process, legislative oversight, and public financial management.
The group argued that the National Assembly has a constitutional responsibility not only to approve government spending but also to thoroughly examine budget proposals to ensure public funds are allocated only to legally established institutions.
SERAP maintained that Nigerians have a right to know whether public funds were appropriated for an entity that was never lawfully created and how such an allocation could have been approved.
The organisation said making the requested records public would strengthen transparency, improve accountability, and restore public confidence in the integrity of the country’s appropriation process.
It also cited the Nigerian Constitution, the Freedom of Information Act, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other international transparency standards in support of its request for disclosure.
SERAP gave the National Assembly seven days to provide the requested information, warning that it would pursue legal action if the documents were not released within the stipulated period.
The controversy follows an earlier statement by the Presidency, which publicly denied the existence of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, describing it as a fictitious body that was never established by the Federal Government despite the reported allocation in the 2026 budget.
