Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has said the office of the current SGF should have detected and flagged the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Lawal, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the responsibility of identifying questionable agencies linked to the Presidency rests with the SGF’s office.
The former SGF stated this during an interview on Arise News, where he argued that the SGF should be aware of all agencies under his supervision, especially those that submit budget proposals through his office before reaching the National Assembly.
He said: “Unless there is a dereliction of duty by the SGF’s office, the responsibility to flag this fake agency would have come from the SGF.”
Lawal, however, suggested that an SGF who feels sidelined by powerful individuals within the Presidency might choose to ignore such issues.
“But if sometimes, maybe they feel so much sidelined that they don’t care, they just look the other way,” he added.
He insisted that he would not allow his office to be undermined if he were still SGF, saying he would have confronted the President directly.
“If that happens to me, I’ll go to the President. If you sideline me, I’ll go to the President and protest,” he said.
The controversy surrounding the PFIPC has continued to generate reactions following allegations that the council, which reportedly claimed links to the Presidency, was a “ghost agency” involved in a purported N1.3 billion scandal.
The development came amid investigations into the activities of the council, with its alleged Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations including conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation.
The Federal Government has listed Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and 10 others as prosecution witnesses in the ongoing case.
Samuel Agada is a writer and media contributor from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Jos and a former banker with GTBank and FCMB. A prolific writer, songwriter, educator, and Gospel preacher, he is passionate about informing, inspiring, and impacting society through his work.