Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has alleged that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) points to what he described as an institutional compromise and a wider racket within the system.
Babachir Lawal made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.
His comments come amid the ongoing controversy involving the PFIPC and allegations made by its purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Adeyemi had alleged that the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, received N400 million through a proxy and later demanded an additional N200 million to facilitate his appointment.
The Presidency has, however, dismissed the claims, insisting that the Chief of Staff neither issues appointment letters nor has the authority to make such appointments.
Reacting to the development, Babachir Lawal questioned how a budget could have been allocated to an agency that allegedly has no legal existence.
“There’s an institutional compromise and a big racket going on,” he said.
According to him, if the agency was created by a single individual without due process, several government institutions should have detected and prevented it before any budgetary allocation was made.
He explained that government agencies are required to defend their budget proposals before appropriations are approved, making it difficult for a non-existent agency to legitimately receive funding.
Lawal further argued that public funds cannot legally be appropriated to an agency that has not been established through the required legal framework.
He noted that the process of creating a government agency begins with the executive arm before it undergoes the necessary approvals involving the Accountant-General of the Federation and the National Assembly.
The PFIPC controversy began after questions emerged over the legality of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, with allegations that the body operated without formal government approval despite reportedly receiving budgetary allocations. The matter has since attracted investigations by security agencies, while the Federal Government has filed charges against individuals linked to the council, including allegations of conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
