By Oluwakemi Kindness
The House of Representatives 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.
This comes as fresh concerns emerge over the exclusion of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, from the list of invited witnesses.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, will hold its inauguration and public hearing at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. The panel was constituted by the House two weeks ago following a resolution adopted during plenary presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
The investigation is being conducted pursuant to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empower the National Assembly to investigate the administration of public institutions and the management of public funds.
The committee is expected to determine how budgetary provisions amounting to about N1.32 billion were allocated to the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an agency that has not been legally established.
The probe follows the arrest of Adeyemi Adeniyi, who allegedly posed as the Director-General of the PFIPC and is accused of facilitating the inclusion of the agency in the 2026 budget despite its non-existence.
The controversy intensified after Adeniyi reportedly alleged that he paid N100 million through proxies to Gbajabiamila to facilitate the establishment of the agency. Both the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff have denied the allegation.
According to the committee’s invitation signed by Gagdi, the public hearing will bring together senior government officials, ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organisations, professional bodies, development partners, the media and members of the public.
Among those invited are the Ministers of Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment, Justice, and Foreign Affairs. Also expected are the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Chairmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Auditor-General for the Federation and the Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Other invitees include 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, professional bodies, civil society organisations and members of the public to submit memoranda on issues relating to its terms of reference.
In addition to determining how the PFIPC was included in the 2026 budget despite lacking legal backing, the panel is expected to trace the budgetary allocation from the executive proposal through legislative consideration to its eventual passage in order to establish the stage at which the provision was introduced.
However, the committee’s decision not to invite Gbajabiamila or Adeniyi has drawn criticism from some quarters, with concerns that the omission could affect the credibility of the investigation.
