The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has dismissed claims that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) operates an active account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), insisting that the council has neither received government funding nor paid salaries to any staff.
The clarification comes amid growing scrutiny over the status, funding and legal standing of the disputed council.
Speaking on the matter, the OAGF’s Director of Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, explained that although an application was submitted to open a CBN account for the council, the process was never completed because the necessary documentation was not provided.
“You cannot open an account at the CBN without authorization from the Accountant General. The accountant general will authorise them to open an account at the CBN,” Mokwa said.
According to him, Adeniyi Adeyemi had approached the Office of the Accountant-General with an appointment letter, but the account could not be activated because the names of the authorised signatories were never submitted.
“The account, till today, has not seen the light of day. It has not seen one kobo because the account is not completely operational,” he stated.
Mokwa stressed that the Federal Government has not disbursed any money to the council since there is no operational account through which such payments could be made.
“That portrays that he has not collected a dime. The AGF has not released a dime to him because they don’t even have a place where the money can be paid,” he added.
The OAGF also rejected reports that the council had recruited workers or placed employees on the federal payroll.
“Based on our knowledge, he has not employed anybody,” Mokwa said.
He explained that every federal agency must obtain approvals from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office and the Federal Civil Service Commission before recruiting staff and enrolling them on the government’s payroll.
“If they give you a waiver for 200 people, you take the waiver to these agencies and then present the papers to the accountant general.
“He cannot capture even one name without those approvals because once they are captured, payment will come from the budget,” he explained.
The statement follows reports that the PFIPC received a waiver to recruit 300 personnel in August 2025.
It also comes after a review of the 2026 Appropriation Act showed that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was listed under the Presidency with a budgetary allocation of ₦1.302 billion, comprising ₦802.9 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overhead expenses and ₦300 million for capital projects.
Despite the budgetary provision, Mokwa maintained that no public funds have been released to the council, reiterating that the PFIPC does not have an operational CBN account and has not received any government payment.
