PFIPC probe: HoS admits failure to verify recruitment documents

PFIPC probe: HoS admits failure to verify recruitment documents

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has admitted that her office did not carry out adequate due diligence before approving an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver linked to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Walson-Jack made the admission while appearing before a House of Representatives committee investigating the activities of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).

The committee is examining allegations surrounding the PFIPC’s operations, legal status and the circumstances under which the organisation obtained official government recognition, staffing approvals and access to the federal budget process.

During the hearing, the Head of Service said her office relied on documents submitted by representatives of the PEAC/PFIPC, including a purported Letter of Appointment and Establishment Act, without independently confirming their authenticity.

According to her, the documents presented and the engagements held with representatives of the organisation formed the basis for the issuance of an Authorised Establishment and a subsequent Recruitment Waiver.

“My office received the Letter of Appointment and the Establishment Act and, based on those documents and also based on the interaction with the representatives of the PEAC and PFICP, we went on to issue the Authorised Establishment and later the Recruitment Waiver,” Walson-Jack said.

The HoS, however, acknowledged that her office should have conducted more comprehensive checks before granting the approvals.

“We now, having seen all the facts and observed all the documents, concede that we ought to have carried out more due diligence in the discharge of the duties of the office in issuing an Authorised Establishment and a Recruitment Waiver to the PEAC/PFICP,” she said.

Walson-Jack explained that the previous existence of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council as an ad hoc body may have contributed to the confusion surrounding the documents submitted to her office.

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She said the documents presented carried the combined designation PEAC/PFIPC, but admitted that stronger verification procedures could have helped establish whether the documents were genuine before the approvals were issued.

“We do know that the PEAC used to exist as an ad hoc organisation on its own, and the documents that were presented had PEAC/PFICP. However, as I said, due diligence may have detected whether those documents were actually authentic,” she added.

The House committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, is investigating how the PFIPC obtained an authorised staffing structure, a recruitment waiver, an administrative budget code and budgetary provisions despite questions surrounding its legal foundation.

The investigation is also expected to establish whether the approvals resulted from administrative lapses, misrepresentation, document forgery or other irregularities.

The PFIPC controversy gained national attention after the organisation reportedly appeared in the 2026 federal budget with an allocation of about ₦1.3 billion.

The Budget Office of the Federation has maintained that it relied on official documents and approvals issued by relevant government institutions while processing the council’s budget request.

The Budget Office reportedly said the PFIPC initially requested about ₦3.85 billion for personnel costs. However, the office said it independently calculated a lower personnel requirement of approximately ₦802.98 million based on the approved staffing structure, recruitment waiver and applicable public-service salary framework.

The office also maintained that it did not approve the recruitment of personnel for the council and did not issue the administrative budget code.

The Head of Service had earlier stated that her office did not deploy civil servants to the PFIPC or allocate office space to the organisation.

According to her, a request for the deployment of personnel was received but was not approved, while the office space reportedly used by the council was not allocated by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The HoS said the controversy had exposed gaps in the document verification process and highlighted the need for stronger internal controls across public institutions.

She indicated that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service would review its approval procedures and introduce additional safeguards to ensure that documents submitted by government bodies are properly authenticated.

The proposed reforms are expected to strengthen due diligence, improve legal and administrative review processes and reduce the risk of unauthorised organisations obtaining official government approvals.

The House committee is expected to continue hearing from relevant government institutions before reaching its final conclusions and making recommendations.

As of the time of filing this report, the committee had not announced any final finding of wrongdoing against any individual or government institution.

PFIPC probe: HoS admits failure to verify recruitment documents