House of Reps Probes ₦1.32bn Allocation to Unestablished Agency Amid Witness Exclusion Controversy

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is set to inaugurate an ad hoc committee tasked with investigating the controversial inclusion of an unestablished agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The panel, chaired by Representative Yusuf Gagdi, was constituted to determine how the “Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council” (PFIPC) a body with no legal framework was allocated approximately ₦1.32bn in the national budget. The probe will trace the budgetary process from its initial executive submission through legislative passage to identify where and how the line item was inserted.

The investigation follows the arrest of Adeyemi Adeniyi, who allegedly posed as the Director-General of the fictitious council. Adeniyi claimed he funneled ₦100m through proxies to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to facilitate the agency’s creation an allegation strongly denied by both the Presidency and the Chief of Staff’s office.

A official notice released by the committee outlined a broad list of invited institutions and key public figures, including:

Cabinet Ministers: Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment, Justice, and Foreign Affairs.

Agency & Security Chiefs: The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Chairmen of the EFCC and ICPC, the Auditor-General, the Director-General of the DSS, and the Inspector-General of Police.

Government Officials: The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Despite the extensive witness list, the proceedings have drawn sharp criticism over the exclusion of both Femi Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi Adeniyi from the initial round of invitations. Concerns have been raised by public commentators and panel members alike, with critics arguing that omitting the central figures linked to the allegations risks undermining the transparency and public credibility of the probe.