By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has criticised the office of the current SGF for failing to detect and stop correspondence relating to the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing it as a dereliction of duty.
Lawal made the remarks on Monday during an interview on Arise Television while commenting on the ongoing controversy surrounding the purported agency linked to Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
“If an agency is received, processed, and forwarded without somebody asking in the SGF’s office exactly who these people are, it means there’s a dereliction of duty on the side of the SGF,” he said.
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Lawal explained that verification procedures in the SGF’s office are designed to identify agencies without legal recognition. He noted that federal agencies are typically created through presidential approval, consideration by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and, where necessary, legislation.
The former SGF also questioned how the alleged agency obtained a budget code and progressed through the federal budget process if it did not legally exist.
“It’s institutional compromise, because in this, I sense there’s quite a big racket going on somewhere along the line,” he said.
He pointed out that every ministry, department, and agency (MDA) is expected to defend its budget before the Budget Office of the Federation, questioning how a non-existent entity could have been recognised.
Lawal argued that the SGF’s office should have raised a red flag before the proposal reached the National Assembly.
“That’s what oversight is. The SGF should be able to know, because before it gets to the National Assembly, that budget goes through the SGF,” he said.
Calls for Judicial Inquiry
Lawal recommended a judicial inquiry rather than an internal administrative process to thoroughly investigate the matter.
“I don’t think it should even be administrative alone; it should be a judicial inquiry,” he said.
He also questioned claims that the agency received a ₦27.5 billion take-off grant before any budgetary allocation, describing it as more serious than the reported ₦1.3 billion budget allocation.
“We are just talking about the tip of the iceberg here. Down there, before we got to here, N27.5 billion had already been disbursed, according to him, as a take-off grant. How did that money get to him?” he asked.
Lawal rejected suggestions that existing government safeguards exposed the alleged fraud, stating that “thieves and armed robbers always fight, and they expose themselves during sharing.”
He cited his own experience of being suspended during an investigation as best practice, suggesting that senior officials implicated should step aside during probes.
The former SGF also faulted the National Assembly for allegedly failing to properly scrutinise the budget.
“It is a legislative oversight. This National Assembly has no interest in scrutinising the budget that comes before them,” he said.
Lawal added that the current administration appears to have weak institutional controls.
“This government doesn’t take governance seriously. When things like this happen, Nigerians are not surprised. It’s so porous,” he said.
He urged focus on those who enabled the alleged agency to function, stating that powerful individuals may have ensured its operation despite lacking a legal framework.
The controversy surrounding the PFIPC continues to generate intense public and political debate as investigations and legal proceedings unfold.
The Presidency and the current SGF’s office are yet to respond to Lawal’s comments.
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