SERAP Asks Akpabio, Abbas To Explain ₦1.3bn PFIPC Allocation

SERAP has asked Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to explain how more than ₦1.3bn was allocated to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, a body the Presidency has said was never set up by the Federal Government.

The demand adds another turn to the PFIPC controversy already reported here. The civic group wants the National Assembly leadership to release records showing who considered, defended and approved the allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

In a Freedom of Information request dated July 4, 2026, SERAP asked for certified copies of documents relating to the approval of ₦1,302,978,784 for the PFIPC, also described in the budget as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

The group also asked the Senate and House leadership to use the National Assembly’s powers under sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution to investigate the circumstances around the allocation and identify officials responsible for any irregularities.

SERAP said the National Assembly should clarify whether the allocation was part of the Executive’s original Appropriation Bill or was inserted during the legislative budget process. It also sought the names and designations of officials or representatives who defended the proposed spending before the relevant committees.

The request follows earlier public concern over the council after reports linked it to budgetary provisions despite the Presidency’s denial that such an agency existed.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard