By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to account for the controversial allocation of over ₦1.3 billion to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body the Presidency has publicly declared non-existent.
In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the organisation demanded certified records relating to the approval of the allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
SERAP also asked the National Assembly to invoke its constitutional oversight powers to investigate how public funds were appropriated for what the Presidency has described as a fictitious agency.
The organisation requested documents identifying lawmakers and committee members who considered the allocation, as well as the public officials who appeared before the committees to defend the budget proposal.
It also sought clarification on whether the allocation originated from the Executive’s appropriation bill or was introduced during the legislative process, and whether any concerns were raised over the legal status of the agency before the budget was approved.
In the FoI request signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP argued that the conflicting positions of the Presidency and the budget allocation raise serious questions about the credibility of Nigeria’s appropriation process, legislative oversight and public financial management.
According to the organisation, the National Assembly has a constitutional responsibility not only to approve budgets but also to scrutinise government spending proposals to ensure they comply with the law.
SERAP maintained that Nigerians have a right to know whether public funds were appropriated for an agency that was never legally established and, if so, how such an allocation passed through the legislative process.
The group warned that if the requested information is not released within seven days, it would institute legal proceedings to compel compliance in the public interest.
SERAP further argued that making the records public would strengthen transparency, promote accountability and restore public confidence in the integrity of the National Assembly and Nigeria’s budgeting process.
The organisation also cited provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights instruments, insisting that public institutions have a duty to disclose information relating to the use of public funds and matters involving alleged abuse of office.
The controversy followed the Presidency’s declaration that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which reportedly received an allocation of ₦1,302,978,784 in the 2026 budget, was never created by the Federal Government.
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