The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has firmly refuted allegations that the late President Muhammadu Buhari established the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which is currently under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). In a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, the organisation labeled the claims as baseless and lacking factual foundation.
Origin of the PFIPC Controversy
The controversy stems from recent disclosures by the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF). On Friday, BOF Director-General Tanimu Yakubu informed the House of Representatives that PFIPC's institutional roots traced back to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) inaugurated by President Buhari on October 9, 2019. He further revealed that the fake agency had been allocated funds in the 2026 budget. However, BMO insists that what Buhari created was PEAC, not PFIPC.
“PEAC/PFIPC did not enter the 2026 budget merely because it asked for funds. The council had its origin in the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, inaugurated during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari on Oct. 9, 2019,” Yakubu had stated. Nonetheless, BMO argues that the transformation of PEAC into PFIPC occurred under the current administration, not Buhari's.
Structure and Funding of PEAC
BMO explained that PEAC was an ad-hoc, part-time advisory body comprising professional economists and financial experts. It operated from the second floor of the Ministry of Health, Federal Secretariat, in offices designated for the Chief Economic Adviser to the President—a position Buhari did not fill until much later. The council was chaired by Prof. Doyin Salami, CFR, who later became Chief Economic Adviser. Other members included Vice-Chairman Prof. Mahmuda Sagagi, and members Prof. Ode Ojowu, Dr. Shehu Yahaya, Dr. Iyabo Masha, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Mr. Bismark Rewane, and Dr. Mohammed Salisu, who served as secretary.
Notably, PEAC had no budget line during the Buhari administration. Activities were funded through presidential approvals to the Minister of Finance. Members were not salaried; office expenses were paid by the Permanent Secretary, State House, upon presidential approval. This arrangement underscored the council's advisory nature and lack of permanent financial autonomy.
Transition to the Current Administration
When the current administration assumed office in 2023, it neither dissolved the Buhari-appointed PEAC nor reappointed its members. BMO noted that the members, being political appointees, considered their term concluded with the departure of the administration that appointed them. Consequently, the office space at the secretariat—branded both as “Presidential Economic Advisory Council” and “Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President”—remained vacant for about two to three years before being repurposed by others.
“The members, being political appointees, considered that their term had ended following the departure from office of the administration that appointed them,” BMO stated. “The office at the secretariat branded both as ‘Presidential Economic Advisory Council’ and ‘Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President,’ remained vacant. It was only put to use two to three years later by others.”
Impact and Ongoing Investigation
BMO categorically denied that Buhari had any role in creating PFIPC, describing news reports linking the late president to the fake agency as a “comedy-drama” that is false and groundless. The organisation’s clarification comes amid an ongoing ICPC investigation into PFIPC, which the presidency has declared a phantom entity. The House of Representatives is also probing the matter, with the BOF director general providing testimony on the allocation of funds in the 2026 budget.
The controversy highlights the challenges of institutional memory and accountability across administrations. As the ICPC continues its investigation, the BMO’s rebuttal seeks to protect the legacy of the late president from what it considers unfounded allegations.
