The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is set to inaugurate an ad hoc committee on Monday to investigate the controversial inclusion of the unestablished Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The inauguration and public hearing will be held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empower the National Assembly to investigate matters relating to the administration of public institutions and the management of public funds.
The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, who represents Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, was constituted following a resolution of the House two weeks ago. Its mandate is to investigate how about ₦1.32 billion was allocated to the PFIPC, an agency the Federal Government says was never legally established.
The investigation follows the arrest of Adeyemi Adeniyi, who allegedly posed as the Director-General of the PFIPC and is accused of facilitating the agency’s inclusion in the 2026 budget despite its non-existence.
The controversy intensified after Adeniyi allegedly claimed he paid ₦100 million through intermediaries to the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to facilitate the establishment of the agency. The allegation has been denied by both the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff.
A notice issued by the committee and signed by Gagdi stated that the public hearing would bring together key government officials, anti-corruption agencies, civil society organisations, professional bodies, development partners, the media and other stakeholders.
Among those invited are the Ministers of Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment, Justice, and Foreign Affairs. Also expected to appear before the committee are the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the heads of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Auditor-General for the Federation, the Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, the Director-General of the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police.
The committee also called on interested stakeholders, civil society organisations, professional bodies and members of the public to submit memoranda relating to its terms of reference.
According to the committee, the investigation will seek to establish how the PFIPC was included in the 2026 budget without legal backing and trace the allocation from the executive budget proposal through legislative consideration to its eventual passage in order to determine where the provision originated.
However, the committee has come under criticism for not including either Gbajabiamila or Adeniyi among the initial witnesses invited to testify.
A member of the committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, argued that excluding the two central figures in the controversy could create the impression of bias.
“The two key individuals at the centre of the allegations are not on the invitation list. That raises concerns about the credibility of the investigation,” the lawmaker said.
Public affairs analyst Jackson Ojo also questioned the omission, saying the committee should have invited the Chief of Staff to respond to the allegations and clear his name.
The House of Representatives established the panel amid growing public concern over alleged irregularities in the 2026 budget, particularly the allocation of more than ₦1 billion to an agency the government maintains does not legally exist.