Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has added its voice to the growing chorus of civil society organisations demanding immediate action over the scandal surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), calling for the suspension of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, pending the outcome of a thorough and independent investigation. In a statement issued on Sunday, 5 July 2026, CHRICED Executive Director, Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, described the allegations linked to the purported council as a grave test of public accountability that strikes at the very heart of transparency and governance in Nigeria. The organisation, which has been at the forefront of advocacy for human rights and civic education in the country, insisted that the controversy reinforces growing concerns about opacity in public administration and the urgent need for stronger institutional safeguards.
The PFIPC scandal, which has dominated national discourse for weeks, centres on explosive allegations made by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who has been identified as the disowned Director-General of the council. Adeyemi has publicly claimed that Gbajabiamila facilitated his appointment "at a price," alleging that he paid ₦400 million through intermediaries to secure the position. He further alleged that the Chief of Staff demanded 48 per cent of the agency's take-off grant, estimated at more than ₦27 billion. The controversy deepened when the Presidency, through Gbajabiamila, issued a public disclaimer on 11 June 2026, disowning Adeyemi and declaring that the PFIPC had no official status under the Tinubu administration. Yet, despite the disclaimer, documents have emerged showing that the council was allocated over ₦1.3 billion (₦1,302,978,784) in the 2026 Appropriation Act, complete with recurrent and capital expenditure lines. It also reportedly secured office space at the Federal Secretariat, opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and obtained approval for staff positions.
In its Sunday statement, CHRICED argued that the controversy has become too serious to be dismissed as a mere administrative lapse. Zikirullahi said the allegations require careful scrutiny not only because of their potential implications for governance but also because of the chilling message they send about the integrity of public appointments and the use of state resources. "The PFIPC controversy should be thoroughly investigated to strengthen public trust in government institutions and ensure that anyone found culpable is held accountable in accordance with the law," the statement read. The group also drew a direct line between the PFIPC affair and broader concerns raised in the International Monetary Fund's 2026 Article IV Consultation Report, which highlighted discrepancies between government expenditure and official budget records. CHRICED called on the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office to provide further clarification on the reported unrecorded spending, a request that comes amid the Federal Government's denial of allegations of off-budget expenditure.
Beyond the immediate call for Gbajabiamila's suspension, CHRICED outlined a comprehensive set of demands designed to address the systemic weaknesses exposed by the scandal. The organisation called for the establishment of an independent investigative panel comprising civil society representatives, anti-corruption experts, and jurists to examine the PFIPC controversy and related issues. It also urged the Federal Government to publish details of all government-linked councils, committees, and intervention bodies, including their legal mandates, funding sources, and operational frameworks. Finally, CHRICED demanded a renewed commitment to transparency and accountability in public governance, warning that the current trajectory threatens to erode public confidence in government at a time when Nigerians are already contending with economic hardship and persistent insecurity. The group appealed to civil society organisations, the media, labour unions, religious leaders, youth groups, and other stakeholders to remain vigilant and continue demanding accountability from public officials.
CHRICED is not alone in its demands. The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) had earlier called for Gbajabiamila's immediate removal, arguing that his continued stay in office constitutes a clear conflict of interest and a threat to the integrity of any probe. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also demanded a forensic investigation into the scandal, accusing the government of demonstrating a troubling pattern of institutional failure. BudgIT, a prominent civic technology organisation, has similarly called for an independent investigation into the controversial allocation of ₦1.302 billion to the purported council. The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has also urged Gbajabiamila to step aside pending investigation. This growing coalition of civil society, opposition parties, and professional bodies reflects a deepening crisis of confidence in the administration's handling of public finances and institutional oversight.
The Federal Government has maintained that the PFIPC never existed and that Gbajabiamila issued a public disclaimer as soon as irregularities were detected. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has described Adeyemi as "an irredeemable con artist" and has called on investigators to identify and prosecute those within government who allegedly assisted him in carrying out the scheme. Adeyemi has since been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on an eight-count charge bordering on fraud and forgery. However, for CHRICED and its allies, the absence of a transparent, independent investigation into the wider implications of the scandal leaves too many questions unanswered: How did a "non-existent" agency secure a budget line of over ₦1.3 billion? Who approved its office space and CBN accounts? And what role, if any, did the Chief of Staff play in facilitating these approvals? As the pressure mounts and the calls for accountability grow louder, the PFIPC scandal has become a defining test of the Tinubu administration's commitment to transparency, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption—a test that, for now, remains unresolved.
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