Today, Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, will establish an ad hoc committee to investigate the contentious inclusion of the newly formed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council in the 2026 Appropriations Act. The absence of Femi Gbajabiamila, the president's chief of staff, from the list of invited witnesses has drawn new criticism.
In accordance with Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which grant the National Assembly authority to investigate issues concerning the management of public funds and the administration of public institutions, the inauguration and public hearing will be held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The committee was established two weeks ago in response to a House decision during a plenary session headed by Speaker Abbas. Yusuf Gagdi, a member representing the Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, serves as its chair.
Its task is to look into how the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an organization that had not been lawfully created, received budgetary provisions of approximately N1.32 billion.
The investigation Fake Agency Scandal: Abbas Launches Investigative Panel Today.
After Adeniyi allegedly stated that he paid Gbajabiamila N100 million through intermediaries to help establish the agency, the scandal intensified.
The Office of the Chief of Staff and the President have both refuted the accusation.
Key government officials, civil society organizations, professional associations, development partners, the media, and members of the public will attend the hearing, according to a copy of the committee's invitation signed by Gagdi.
It stated: "Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Civil Society Organizations, professional bodies, development partners, the media, pertinent stakeholders, and members of the public are hereby invited to the inauguration and public hearing of the ad hoc committee to investigate the Unestablished Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council in the Federal Budget Framework."
"The committee has invited the following stakeholders to appear before it:
"The Honorable Minister of Finance, the Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, the Honorable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Honorable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, and the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs."
"Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, Auditor-General for the Federation, and Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission" were among the other names on the list.
The invitation also stated that the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation would be expected to appear before the committee.
Additionally, the notice requested memoranda on matters pertaining to the committee's terms of reference from interested parties, professional associations, civil society organizations, pertinent institutions, and members of the public.
It is anticipated that the panel will ascertain how the PFIPC, in spite of its lack of legal support, ended up in the 2026 budget.
In order to determine the stage at which the allocation was introduced, it will also follow the budgetary provision from the executive's request through legislative deliberation to its final enactment.
However, questions have been raised about the committee's integrity because it chose not to invite Gbajabiamila or Adeniyi. The two key players in the dispute ought to have been among the first witnesses called, according to a committee member who spoke anonymously.
The two key figures are not invited, as you can see from the notification. I refer to Adeyemi and Gbajabiamila. The committee is clearly trying to clear Gbajabiamila by trying to exclude him. The lawmaker stated, "There is already bias from the invitation notice."
Jackson Ojo, a public affairs analyst, also reacted, stating that the President's Chief of Staff's exclusion may erode public trust in the inquiry. "The committee is not off to a good start. To vindicate his name, they ought to have invited the Chief of Staff.
"Gbajabiamila is more significant to the investigation than the invited government officials, despite their importance." "The Chief of Staff was referenced by the man who was arrested. He questioned, "So why isn't he one of those to answer questions from the lawmakers?"
The panel was established by the House in response to mounting public outcry about purported anomalies in the 2026 budget process, namely the distribution of more than a billion naira to an organization that the government denied ever existed.