Babachir Lawal, Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has called for a judicial inquiry into the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), accusing key government institutions of failing to detect what he described as a serious breach of Nigeria’s governance and budgetary oversight systems.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Arise Television, Lawal said the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation should have identified that the agency allegedly lacked legal backing long before any correspondence reached President Bola Tinubu. He argued that the controversy points to a wider network of institutional compromise and possible abuse of public funds, insisting that powerful individuals who enabled the agency’s operations must be exposed.
The Presidency recently disowned the PFIPC, describing it as a fictitious organisation after allegations emerged linking its promoter, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to an alleged bribery scheme involving senior government officials.
Lawal maintained that established procedures within the SGF’s office require officials to verify the legal status of every ministry, department or agency before processing documents for presidential approval.
