Fresh details have emerged on how the alleged promoters of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council allegedly relied on a federal budget code to create the impression that the organisation was a legitimate government agency.
According to an exclusive report by Western Post, sources familiar with the ongoing investigation said the budget code played a key role in giving the council an appearance of official recognition, despite claims that it had no legal status within the Federal Government.
One of the sources said the code was allegedly linked to a loophole involving the Economic Advisory Council, an advisory body created during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The budget code made the organisation appear authentic and helped convince people that it was an established government institution,” the source was quoted as saying.
The source further disclosed that the budget code allegedly enabled the organisation to obtain office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, even though such allocations are expected to follow approvals from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation before final clearance by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Investigators are now examining how the council allegedly circumvented those procedures and operated from government premises without formal recognition.
The source also claimed that an earlier police investigation found that members of the organisation had allegedly gained access to an office belonging to the Economic Advisory Council during the early phase of its activities.
Addressing reports that the council employed about 300 workers, the source maintained that although a request was made to recruit that number of staff, it was never approved.
According to the source, the organisation’s operations were handled by only about 14 individuals.
Another source familiar with the investigation said the case has exposed broader institutional lapses beyond the alleged activities of the council’s promoter, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The source said investigators were probing how an organisation without legal backing allegedly secured a budgetary allocation of about ₦1.3bn in the 2026 Appropriation Act, obtained office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat and reportedly operated bank accounts while presenting itself as a government agency.
According to the source, preliminary findings suggest the budgetary provision may have passed through the appropriation process without undergoing the usual level of scrutiny by the relevant authorities.
The investigation is also examining how alleged forged appointment documents were accepted without proper verification, allowing the organisation to function openly within government facilities.
Attention is equally focused on reports that the council operated multiple bank accounts, including accounts allegedly linked to the Central Bank of Nigeria, raising questions over compliance with financial verification and Know Your Customer procedures.
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The source added that investigators believe the case has exposed weaknesses in budget oversight, appointment verification and banking due diligence, with recommendations for reforms expected after the investigation.
President Bola Tinubu has directed security and anti corruption agencies to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the controversy, including how the alleged organisation obtained a budget code, appeared in the national budget, secured office accommodation and operated within the Federal Secretariat despite lacking legal recognition.
(Western Post Nigeria)
