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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has blamed the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation saying that it failed to detect and stop documents relating to the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the Presidency described as a non-existent agency.
Lawal said the SGF’s office should have identified the alleged fake agency long before the documents reached President Bola Tinubu, arguing that proper due diligence would have uncovered the irregularities at an early stage.
Speaking in an interview on Arise Television, Lawal reacted to the controversy surrounding PFIPC following allegations linking its promoter, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to bribery involving senior government officials.
According to the former SGF, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation serves as a clearinghouse for federal government agencies and is expected to verify the legal status of any institution seeking official recognition.
He argued that if PFIPC had not been legally established, then its documents would never have been processed through the government’s administrative process.
“If an agent is received, processed and forwarded without someone in the SGF office asking exactly who these people are, then there is negligence in carrying out their duties,” said Lawal.
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He explained that the SGF’s office keeps records of all legally recognized ministries, departments and agencies and must normally confirm the existence of any organization claiming federal status before forwarding its request to the President.
Lawal further outlined the procedures for establishing federal agencies, noting that proposals are initiated by the President or supervisory minister, considered by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and, if necessary, supported by legislation before the agencies are legally recognized.
He emphasized that these procedures make it difficult for non-existent institutions to gain official recognition unless there are serious institutional failures.
The former SGF also questioned how the agency reportedly obtained the government’s budget code and passed through the federal budget process despite claims that the agency had no legal backing.
Describing the development as evidence of institutional compromise, Lawal suggested that perhaps more individuals were involved in facilitating the process.
According to him, every ministry, department and agency is obliged to defend its budget before the Federation Budget Office, making it impossible for any non-existent organization to obtain budget recognition without insider collaboration.
He also asked who approved the budget code for the accused institution and how the proposal was submitted through official channels before reaching the National Assembly.
