The controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) intensified on Thursday as new allegations, official denials and growing calls for an independent investigation renewed scrutiny over how the agency secured a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 national budget.
At the centre of the controversy is the self-acclaimed Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who denied playing any role in the agency’s inclusion in the Appropriation Act, insisting he was in police detention while the budget was being prepared and processed.
Speaking in a viral interview, Adeyemi said he spent 23 days in detention between October 27 and November 19, making it impossible for him or any official of the agency to prepare or defend a budget before the National Assembly.
He questioned how an agency that senior government officials have reportedly described as non-existent eventually secured budgetary approval from both chambers of the National Assembly before being transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
“If the agency truly did not exist, how did it get into the national budget? How did it pass through the Senate, the House of Representatives and eventually get transmitted to the President?” Adeyemi asked.
He described the development as evidence of serious institutional inconsistencies and urged President Tinubu to establish an independent panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allocation.
Adeyemi also disclosed that after his release from detention, the office previously assigned to the agency had been reallocated, while he was later charged in court. Although he declined to accuse any individual directly, he suggested influential figures may have facilitated the agency’s inclusion in the budget.
The controversy has placed the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, under increasing public scrutiny, with civil society organisations and socio-cultural groups demanding greater transparency.
U.S. Lobbyist Calls for Wider Investigation
Meanwhile, a United States-based lobbyist, Von Batten-Montague-York, has urged President Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress to widen ongoing scrutiny of Nigeria to include allegations that senior government officials may have been involved in securing international funding through the controversial agency.
The lobbyist alleged that the PFIPC received a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget, which also contained World Bank-funded projects, and called for a broader investigation into the matter.
The renewed attention has also revived discussions about Gbajabiamila’s previous disciplinary case in the United States, where he was suspended from legal practice in Georgia in 2007 over violations involving client funds before later repaying the money.
Wike Defends Gbajabiamila
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, dismissed allegations linking Gbajabiamila to the controversy, describing them as politically motivated attempts to embarrass the Tinubu administration.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja, Wike argued that the Chief of Staff neither creates government agencies nor prepares the national budget, insisting that President Tinubu acted appropriately by directing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.
He criticised opposition figures for demanding Gbajabiamila’s removal before investigations are concluded and challenged the credibility of those making allegations without presenting evidence to security agencies.
Ohanaeze, YCE and Baba-Ahmed Seek Independent Probe
The unfolding controversy has also drawn reactions from prominent socio-cultural leaders.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo chieftain, Chief Goody Uwazurike, rejected an ICPC-led investigation, arguing that only a fully independent and transparent inquiry would inspire public confidence. He also urged authorities to examine the roles of institutions responsible for budget preparation, approvals and legislative oversight.
Similarly, former Secretary-General of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, called for restraint, warning against premature conclusions while supporting an independent investigation capable of determining individual responsibility.
Former presidential aide Hakeem Baba-Ahmed also advocated the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry, insisting that the Presidency should not investigate itself.
He maintained that an independent panel would help uncover the full circumstances surrounding the PFIPC controversy and restore public confidence in the integrity of government institutions.
