A budget analyst, Joseph Oriowo, has clarified that the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President possesses no budgetary authority amid the scandal involving the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). This follows accusations that Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila accepted a N400 million bribe from Adeniyi Adeyemi to secure the position of Director General of the agency. Allegations also suggest that the PFIPC received a N1 billion allocation in the 2026 budget, despite the Presidency previously labeling the organization a non-existent, fake entity.
Oriowo dismissed the claims as a fundamental misunderstanding of Nigerian financial governance. He noted that the Chief of Staff lacks the legal standing to influence budget inclusions, as such power resides with the Executive branch, the Ministry of Finance, and the President, culminating in National Assembly approval. He emphasized that the Chief of Staff manages advisory and administrative tasks rather than fiscal policy or ministerial duties.
Outlining the budgeting workflow, Oriowo explained that an agency must receive policy approval from the Federal Executive Council, obtain legal backing from the National Assembly, and secure a code from the Budget Office before receiving funding. He asserted that the PFIPC does not possess the necessary enabling legislation or gazetted status to be a legitimate MDA. He challenged the accuser to provide concrete documentation of the agency’s establishment, suggesting the controversy may be a manufactured distraction aimed at undermining the current administration’s ongoing economic reforms.
