The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has contradicted an earlier statement by the Presidency, insisting that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) never had an operational account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The clarification follows claims by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga that the council’s convener, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, fraudulently opened a CBN account after allegedly misleading the OAGF with fake documents.
However, the Accountant-General’s office now says the account-opening process was never completed, making it impossible for the council to receive government funds or operate through the Central Bank.
Presidency’s Earlier Position
Last week, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga disclosed that investigations by the Nigeria Police found that Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi allegedly used forged documents to create and operate the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
According to Onanuga, Adeyemi fraudulently initiated the opening of a CBN account after allegedly deceiving officials at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The Presidency also maintained that although an account was opened, investigators found that no government funds had been transferred into it.
The statement formed part of the government’s response to growing public concerns over the controversial council and its legal status.
OAGF Says Account Was Never Activated
Responding to the claims, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, said the account-opening process never reached completion.
According to him, while an application was initiated after Prince Adeyemi presented what was described as an appointment letter linked to an existing government agency, the process stalled before an operational account could be created.
Mokwa explained that the required details of authorised signatories were never submitted, preventing the account from becoming active.
“The account has not seen the light of day. It has not received one kobo because it was never fully activated. The Accountant-General has not released any money because there is no operational account for such payment,” he said.
The clarification effectively disputes the earlier suggestion that an operational CBN account had been opened.
No Government Funds Released
The OAGF also dismissed suggestions that public funds had been released to the council.
Mokwa stressed that although the PFIPC reportedly has a budgetary allocation under the Appropriation Act, the inclusion of a budget line does not automatically authorise the release of government money.
According to him, allocations can only be made after all statutory and administrative requirements have been satisfied.
As those conditions were never fulfilled, no money was disbursed to the council.
OAGF Denies Salary Payments
The Accountant-General’s office also rejected allegations that staff members of the council had received salaries from the Federal Government.
Mokwa explained that government agencies cannot recruit employees or process salary payments without first obtaining approvals from several statutory bodies, including:
- The Federal Character Commission
- The Budget Office of the Federation
- The Federal Civil Service Commission
Only after those approvals are secured can employee records be uploaded onto the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) for salary processing.
According to the OAGF, none of those procedures had been completed by the PFIPC.
“Without those approvals, not even one employee can be captured on the payroll,” Mokwa said.
Questions Over PFIPC Continue
The latest clarification adds another layer to the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
While both the Presidency and the OAGF agree that no government funds were ultimately paid into the council’s account, their explanations differ on a key issue.
The Presidency stated that a CBN account had been fraudulently opened but remained unfunded.
The OAGF, however, maintains that the account-opening process never reached completion and that no operational CBN account ever existed.
The differing accounts are likely to fuel further public scrutiny over how the council came into existence and the administrative processes that followed.
Investigations by law enforcement authorities into the activities of the council are ongoing.
