By Opeyemi Adelakun
The House of Representatives will today inaugurate an ad hoc committee to investigate the controversial inclusion of the unestablished Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act, amid mounting criticism over the omission of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the alleged mastermind of the scandal from the list of invited witnesses.
The panel, chaired by the lawmaker representing Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, is expected to hold its inaugural sitting and public hearing at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja under the investigative powers granted by Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.
The committee was constituted following a resolution of the House two weeks ago after lawmakers expressed concern over the allocation of about N1.32 billion to the PFIPC, an agency that had not been legally established.
The investigation followed the arrest of Adeyemi Adeniyi, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the council and is accused of facilitating the agency’s inclusion in the 2026 budget despite its non-existent legal status.
The controversy intensified after Adeniyi allegedly claimed he channelled N100 million through proxies to Gbajabiamila to facilitate the establishment of the council. 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 hearing will bring together ministers, heads of government agencies, anti-corruption bodies, civil society organisations, development partners, professional associations 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, as well as 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, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police.
The committee is expected to determine how the PFIPC secured budgetary allocation despite lacking legal backing and identify the stage in the appropriation process where the controversial provision was introduced.
However, the exclusion of both Gbajabiamila and Adeniyi from the witness list has drawn criticism from within and outside the National Assembly.
A member of the committee, who spoke anonymously, questioned the credibility of the exercise, saying the two central figures in the controversy should have been invited.
“From the notice, you will see that the two central figures are not invited. I mean Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi. There is an obvious attempt to exempt Gbajabiamila, and that is an attempt by the committee to clear him. From the notice of invitation, there is already a bias,” the lawmaker said.
Public affairs analyst Jackson Ojo also faulted the decision, warning that excluding the Chief of Staff could erode public confidence in the investigation.
“The committee is starting on the wrong footing. They should have invited the Chief of Staff to clear his name,” Ojo said.
He added, “As important as the invited government officials are to the investigation, they are not as important as Gbajabiamila. The man taken into custody mentioned the Chief of Staff. So, why is he not part of those to field questions from the lawmakers?”
The House constituted the investigative panel amid growing public concern over alleged irregularities in the 2026 budget process, particularly the approval of over N1 billion for an agency the Federal Government insists has no legal existence.
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