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ICPC faults Budget Office over inclusion of fake agency in 2026 budget

Published

6 days ago

August 27, 2026

Faith Okoye

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC) has faulted the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) for including the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 federal budget.

The finding is contained in the commission’s investigation into the activities of the organisation, which the federal government has said never existed.

The report stated that the Budget Office processed and onboarded the purported council into the 2026 budget despite gaps in its documentation and without independently verifying the legal instrument establishing it.

The investigation found that the BOF relied on an administrative code issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) and establishment-related documents attributed to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), without independently confirming their authenticity or establishing the council’s legal existence.

The findings provide further insight into how the purported agency, headed by Adeniyi Adeyemi, penetrated government systems and secured recognition across several federal institutions.

The presidency has maintained that the PFIPC was not created by the Bola Tinubu administration and that Adeyemi was never appointed to head it.

Adeyemi is facing an eight-count criminal charge bordering on forgery and impersonation. He has denied the allegations.

The Budget Office is responsible for preparing and coordinating the annual federal budget based on submissions from ministries, departments and agencies.

The ICPC investigation found that onboarding a new government agency into the national budget requires an administrative or accounting code from the OAGF, as well as an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver from the OHCSF.

Office received a letter from the OAGF conveying Administrative Code 0111062001 for the purported PFIPC.

However, the investigation found that the Budget Office did not receive direct official communication from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service transmitting the authorised establishment and recruitment waiver for the purported council.

Instead, the copy in its file was a scanned document.

The ICPC said the PFIPC did not submit estimates for overhead and capital expenditure. The Budget Office instead determined those figures based on the proposed personnel structure, comparisons with similar agencies, the functions of the purported council, and considerations relating to its size and age.

The investigation found that the Budget Office proceeded with the onboarding despite the incomplete submission.

The commission said available evidence established that a budgetary provision was made for the purported agency, but did not establish that the money was released, cash-backed, paid or spent.