A scandal involving the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has gained national attention after revelations of a fraudulent agency operating within the Federal Secretariat. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew allegedly posed as the Director-General of the group, successfully securing over N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act. This massive allocation was included in the budget without the standard defense process before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters.
The budget breakdown for the disputed entity included funds for logistics, negotiation training, and social contributions. Legislative sources confirmed that the agency never appeared before the appropriate committee, raising questions about how the figures were inserted into the national budget. Senator Suleiman Kawu of Kano South attempted to initiate a formal legislative investigation, citing the need to protect the integrity of the Senate and the government. He argued that the assembly has a duty to identify who facilitated the inclusion of the non-existent agency in the appropriation bill.
However, the Senate leadership, led by Deputy President Barau Jibrin, blocked the motion. The chamber decided to wait for the ongoing investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which was ordered by President Bola Tinubu. Senator Kawu expressed frustration over the decision, insisting that the National Assembly must fulfill its independent constitutional role to investigate its own processes. He emphasized that the public deserves to know if any funds were released and who authorized the budget line, noting that history would judge the lawmakers’ actions regarding this breach of fiscal responsibility.
