Head of Civil Service Disowns Fake Presidential Agency at Reps Probe
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has distanced her office from the operations of the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), telling the House of Representatives that the purported agency neither sought official approval nor received office accommodation through the Federal Civil Service.
Walson-Jack made the disclosure on Monday while appearing before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the activities and legal status of the alleged agency. The probe follows the arrest of Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly paraded himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC despite the agency having no legal backing.
Responding to questions from lawmakers, the Head of Service said her office had no record of any request from the PFIPC seeking approval for its conditions of service. She explained that although her office is responsible for approving conditions of service for government agencies, no such application was ever received from the purported council.
She further clarified that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service is not responsible for determining salaries and allowances of agency personnel, noting that such matters fall under the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, while the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission handles the remuneration of political office holders and chief executive officers.
Walson-Jack also told the committee that issues relating to the reporting lines, supervision and oversight of government agencies do not fall within the mandate of her office, explaining that such responsibilities are handled by the agencies themselves and their supervising ministries.
Addressing claims that the fake council operated from the Federal Secretariat, she stated that her office never allocated any office space to the PFIPC. She explained that while the agency reportedly listed an office in the Federal Secretariat, Phase Three, as its official address, the office space actually belongs to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
According to her, the office was allocated through a letter dated November 16, 2023, for the use of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Presidential aides, stressing that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service had no role in allocating office accommodation to the purported agency.
The House panel is investigating the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operations of the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, including how it allegedly operated, gained access to government facilities and found its way into the 2026 budget despite lacking legal recognition.