The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has clarified that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council does not have an operational account with the Central Bank of Nigeria and has not received any government funds, amid an escalating scandal over the agency’s legitimacy .
Bawa Mokwa, Director of Public Relations at the OAGF, stated over the weekend that although an application was made to open a CBN account, the process was never completed because the required documentation to activate the account was not submitted .
“You cannot open an account at the CBN without authorization from the Accountant General. The Accountant General will authorize them to open an account at the CBN,” Mokwa explained .
He disclosed that Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the agency’s Director-General, approached the OAGF and presented an appointment letter. However, Mokwa alleged the document related to an already existing agency rather than the PFIPC .
The account-opening process began based on the document presented, but the account could not become operational because the names of officials expected to serve as account signatories were never provided .
“The account, till today, has not seen the light of day. It has not seen one kobo because the account is not completely operational,” Mokwa said .
He added that the absence of an operational account meant there was no channel through which the OAGF could release government funds to the agency .
“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 stated .
No Staff Recruited, No Salaries Paid
The OAGF spokesman also denied reports that salaries had been paid to workers of the agency, saying it had not recruited any staff through the procedures required for federal establishments .
“Based on our knowledge, he has not employed anybody,” Mokwa said .
He explained that before any federal agency can recruit workers and place them on the government payroll, it must first obtain necessary approvals from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office, and the Federal Civil Service Commission .
Only after those approvals are granted can employees’ names be submitted to the OAGF for enrollment on the federal 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,” Mokwa explained .
“He cannot capture even one name without those approvals because once they are captured, payment will come from the budget” .
Contradicting Reports
Mokwa’s clarification directly counters other reports that documents showed the PFIPC had engaged with multiple government agencies. Official documents previously showed that the OAGF had approved the redeployment of treasury officers to the PFIPC in August 2025 .
The OAGF had reportedly issued a circular dated August 28, 2025, posting staff from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the PFIPC’s audit and account units, warning that failure to comply would attract sanctions .
Meanwhile, the 2026 Appropriation Act expressly lists the “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” with an approved allocation of N1.303 billion, raising questions about how a disowned agency secured budget approval .
Police Investigation and Presidency’s Position
The Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC does not exist and that Adeyemi is an impostor who forged documents .
Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said a police report established that both the Chief of Staff’s signature and the State House letterhead used on the purported appointment letter were forged .
“We have seen the police report on the appointment letter and it was clearly established that the signature of the Chief of Staff was forged. The State House letterhead was forged,” Ajayi stated .
The Nigeria Police has filed an eight-count criminal charge against Adeyemi bordering on conspiracy, forgery, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretense. The matter is fixed for hearing on July 27, 2026 .
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation had earlier in October 2025 disowned the council, stating it was “not a recognised body of the Federal Government of Nigeria” and had “no legal or administrative backing” .
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