Lawmakers intensify investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council amid kickback allegations linked to a ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, on Monday appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The 12-member panel, inaugurated earlier in the day, is probing the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the disputed agency and the process through which it secured a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite concerns over its legal status.
The investigation follows explosive allegations made by Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the PFIPC, who claimed that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded a 48 per cent kickback from the agency’s proposed ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.
According to Adeyemi, ₦400 million was allegedly paid through a proxy, while an additional ₦200 million was requested to facilitate presidential approvals.
However, Gbajabiamila has firmly denied the allegations in a sworn statement, insisting that he has never met or communicated with Adeyemi and did not demand or receive any money.
The Chief of Staff also denied accusations of abusing his office, interfering with law enforcement agencies, or having any connection to the alleged activities of the disputed agency.
Speaking at the committee’s inauguration, lawmakers described the probe as a fact-finding mission aimed at uncovering how the PFIPC was established and included in the national budget despite questions surrounding its legitimacy.
The committee is expected to invite additional government officials and stakeholders as it continues its investigation into what has emerged as one of the most controversial budget-related disputes involving the Tinubu administration.