OAGF Disowns 'Fake' Presidential Council, Says It Never Had Active CBN Account

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has dismissed claims that the controversial Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) operated an active account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), insisting the organisation never received public funds or salary payments from the Federal Government.

The clarification comes as the Presidency disclosed that a police investigation found that documents allegedly used to establish the council, including the signature of the President's Chief of Staff and an official State House letterhead were forged.

Speaking at the weekend, the OAGF's Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, said although an application was initiated to open a CBN account for the organisation, the process was never completed because the required documentation to activate the account was not submitted.

According to him, no government funds could have been paid into the account because it never became operational.

"You cannot open an account at the CBN without authorisation from the Accountant-General. The Accountant-General will authorise them to open an account at the CBN," Mokwa said.

He explained that the individual who approached the OAGF presented an appointment letter during the application process, but said the document referred to an already existing government agency rather than the controversial PEAC/PFIPC.

While that allowed the initial account-opening process to begin, Mokwa said it could not proceed because the names of authorised account signatories were never submitted.

"The account till today has not seen the light of day. It has not seen one kobo because the account is not completely operational," he said.

According to him, the absence of an operational account meant there was no channel through which the Office of the Accountant-General could disburse government funds.

"That portrays that he has not collected a dime. The AGF has not released a dime to him because they don't even have a place where the money can be paid," Mokwa added.

He also dismissed reports that the Federal Government had allocated funds to the organisation, explaining that it had not reached the stage where it could receive any budgetary releases under the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Mokwa further rejected claims that the council had employed workers and paid salaries through the federal payroll system.

According to him, no federal agency can recruit staff or receive salary payments without first obtaining approvals from the Federal Character Commission (FCC), the Budget Office and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).

Only after those approvals are secured can staff details be submitted to the Office of the Accountant-General for enrolment on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) or other approved payroll platforms.

"Based on our knowledge, he has not employed anybody," Mokwa said.

He explained that even where recruitment waivers are granted, they must first be processed through the relevant government agencies before salary payments can commence.

"If they give you waiver for 200 people, you take the waiver to these agencies and then present the papers to the Accountant-General.

"He cannot capture even one name without those approvals because once they are captured, payment will come from the budget."

Mokwa maintained that none of those statutory procedures had been completed, making claims that salaries were paid to workers of the organisation impossible.

Presidency Cites Police Findings

The OAGF's position was reinforced by the Presidency, which said a police investigation had already established that the signature of the Chief of Staff to the President and the State House letterhead appearing on the purported appointment letter were forged.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the findings left no doubt that the documents used to claim official authority were fraudulent.

"We have seen the police report on the appointment letter and it was clearly established that the signature of the Chief of Staff was forged," Ajayi said.

"The State House letterhead was forged. In fact, in our own letterheads, we don't put phone numbers; those who forged the letterheads put phone numbers."

Ajayi also noted that the alleged appointment letter failed to follow established government procedures.

According to him, the Chief of Staff does not issue appointment letters into government agencies or extra-ministerial bodies.

Instead, the President approves appointments, the Chief of Staff conveys the approval to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation formally issues the appointment letter.

"More importantly, the Chief of Staff doesn't issue appointment letter; he only conveys the approvals of the President to the SGF and the SGF issues appointment letter.

"So, when you hear anyone saying that the Chief of Staff issued an appointment letter to him, that's the first red flag," Ajayi said.

OSGF Had Earlier Disowned Council

The Presidency's position aligns with an earlier official memorandum issued by the OSGF on October 21, 2025, declaring the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) an unauthorised body with no legal or administrative backing.

In the letter, signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, M. S. Danjuma, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and addressed to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the OSGF stated that the organisation was "not a recognised body of the Federal Government of Nigeria."

The memorandum further stated that investigations showed the council "has no legal or administrative backing, nor was it established by any instrument of the Federal Government," describing its operations as "unauthorised and fraudulent."

The OSGF advised government agencies to disregard any engagement with the organisation and notify the appropriate authorities if it attempted to interfere with their statutory responsibilities.

The alleged promoter of the council, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, is currently facing prosecution over allegations including forgery, impersonation and related offences. He is expected to return to court later this month as proceedings continue.