Posted by Chinenye on Tue 21st Jul, 2026 - tori.ng
Fresh revelations have emerged in the ongoing probe of the controversial PEAC, with top officials confirming that hundreds of positions were approved during the federal budget process.
(Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack. Photo by News Express)
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, on Monday confirmed that representatives of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) took part in the 2026 budget process and secured approval for 314 positions.
She disclosed this in Abuja following the inauguration of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the existence and operations of the Council, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi.
While noting that the approval and establishment of agencies do not fall within the purview of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), she admitted that the Council had submitted a request to her office on August 6, 2025, seeking approval of its organisational structure without providing the necessary supporting documents.
She explained that the request, initially turned down due to the missing documentation, was later approved for a total workforce of 314 positions, made up of 14 existing officers already engaged by the Council and 300 additional positions.
According to her, records from the Organisation Design and Development (ODD) Department further confirmed that the authorised establishment was collected on the Council's behalf by a man representing the PEAC/PFIPC.
She disclosed that the system had gone down during the period when the Council's registration was under scrutiny, adding that representatives of the Council had participated in the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence Exercise, led by a woman who identified herself as the Deputy Director of Administration, and had appeared before ODD officers during the organisation's bilateral manpower defence session.
She maintained, however, that she only became aware of the Council's existence after reviewing all available documents relating to it, following the public exposure of the matter.
She said that after the bilateral engagements with the Council's representatives during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence Exercise, the request was reviewed by ODD officers, and in line with the office's standard administrative procedure, the fourth batch of approvals covering 88 ministries, extra-ministerial departments and agencies, including the Council in question was approved on July 18, 2025, by the Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office, who was overseeing the OHCSF at the time.
She stressed that there was no deployment of officers by her office to the Council, noting that recruitment and placement of staff in agencies followed a separate process.
Mrs Walson-Jack added that the remuneration and emoluments of personnel fall under the purview of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, while the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) handles the remuneration of political appointees and chief executive officers.
She also stated clearly that the office space occupied by the Council in Phase III of the Federal Secretariat forms part of the office space allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation through a letter dated November 16, 2023, and that all matters relating to the establishment, administration, supervision and operational oversight of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council fall within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other relevant government institutions.
She disclosed that Mrs Patricia Akhigbe, under whose supervision the Council secured the approval, has been released to the Nigeria Police for questioning, alongside Jacob Oluwafemi David.
In his presentation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, represented by the Director of Banking Services, Mr Hamisu Abdullahi, disclosed that the apex bank had opened two accounts for the Council a Dollar domiciliary account and a Pound Sterling account noting that both had remained inactive since they were opened.
He explained that the mandate to open the accounts was received on July 30, 2025, from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation through a letter dated July 29, 2025, after which the standard verification process was carried out.
He added that the apex bank had not received any further response and that there had been no inflow or outflow in either account since their creation.
For his part, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr Musa Aliyu, disclosed that the Commission had begun investigating and gathering documents, as well as engaging officials considered necessary to help unravel the matter. He urged the Ad-hoc Committee to allow the Commission a few days to report back to the House on its progress.
Declaring the investigative hearing open, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, reaffirmed the House's commitment to transparency, accountability and citizen participation.
The Speaker, represented by the Majority Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, acknowledged that discussions around the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council had dominated media reports, public commentary and policy debates concerning its legal status, institutional mandate, operational framework, relationship with existing agencies, and its inclusion in the Federal Budget Framework despite the uncertainty surrounding its establishment.
He said these questions deserved clear, factual and authoritative answers, stressing that the Committee was not set up to validate speculation, amplify controversy, or serve any political purpose, but simply to establish the facts.
While noting that the investigation was not targeted at any individual but concerned the integrity of public administration, he urged the Committee to conduct its proceedings fairly and protect the rights of every witness as much as possible, giving every interested party the opportunity to be heard, following the evidence wherever it leads, and being guided by facts, the Constitution and the law rather than public pressure or political convenience.
He added that the credibility of parliamentary oversight rests not on the conclusions reached but on the integrity of the process, reaffirming the House's commitment to ensuring that every institution entrusted with public authority remains accountable to the public.
Consequently, the Ad-hoc Committee resolved to invite the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; the Ministers of Finance, and Budget and National Planning; the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation; the Accountant-General of the Federation; the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; the Inspector-General of Police; the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission; the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission; and the Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, among others.
The investigative hearing is expected to continue on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. with the appearance of the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The Committee also directed the Inspector-General of Police to ensure the appearance of the two OHCSF staff members to shed light on their roles in the scandal.