Reported by: Puis Althea | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has told the House of Representatives that her office neither allocated office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja nor deployed any staff to the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, as she admitted to lapses in the verification of documents submitted by the phantom agency that allegedly secured a N1.3 billion budget allocation and approval for 314 staff positions. Appearing before the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the legal status, establishment, and operations of the PFIPC on Monday, July 20, 2026, Walson-Jack categorically stated that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation did not approve any accommodation for the council, clarifying that the office space reportedly occupied by the PFIPC at the Federal Secretariat, Phase III, had been officially allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, not the council.
The Head of Service told the committee that the PFIPC had approached her office requesting approval for its organisational structure, but the request was initially turned down because the council failed to submit the necessary establishment documents. However, she explained that during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence Exercise, representatives of the council, led by a woman who identified herself as Deputy Director of Administration, appeared before officials and submitted documents, including a purported enabling legal instrument and the appointment letter of the Director-General. Based on the documents presented, the request was processed alongside those of 87 other Ministries, Departments and Agencies and approved as part of the fourth batch of manpower requests on July 18, 2025, leading to the issuance of an authorised establishment for 314 positions and a recruitment waiver.
Walson-Jack, however, admitted that her office failed to thoroughly verify the authenticity of the documents before processing the request. "We didn't do the best in verifying the authenticity of the document submitted to us. That we admit," she told the lawmakers. She disclosed that the office later discovered that the document presented as the council's enabling legal instrument was not authentic. "It was observed that the document presented by the council as its enabling legal instrument appeared to carry the requisite features, which we later discovered were not genuine," she said. She stressed, however, that the OHCSF did not include the council in the 2026 budget, adding, "My office didn't put the council in the budget."
On the issue of staff deployment, Walson-Jack maintained that although the office received a request seeking the deployment of officers to support its operations, no approval was granted. "The request for deployment of officers was received and noted for consideration. However, there was no deployment of officers by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to the council," she said. She also dismissed claims that her office allocated office accommodation to the council, stating that recruitment and placement of staff in government agencies are not the responsibility of her office but of the agencies themselves. She urged the committee to direct further inquiries into the council's establishment and operations to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other relevant government institutions.
The Head of Service also clarified the statutory responsibilities of her office, explaining that while the OHCSF is responsible for strategic leadership, manpower planning, career management, organisational development, and office allocation within the Federal Secretariat, it has no constitutional responsibility for establishing federal agencies. She noted that remuneration and emoluments of personnel are under the purview of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, while the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is responsible for the remuneration of political appointees and chief executive officers.
The PFIPC scandal has thrown the Tinubu administration into one of its most embarrassing controversies. The Presidency has disowned the council, describing it as a fraudulent organisation allegedly operated by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is accused of posing as its Director-General using a forged presidential appointment letter. Adeyemi was arrested by police in Osun State on July 14, 2026, and is facing charges of forgery and impersonation. The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has also appeared before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in connection with the scandal. The House Ad-hoc Committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, is continuing its investigation into the activities, funding and operations of the PFIPC, and has summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and other key officials to appear.
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