By Peace Erewunmi

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mrs. Esther Walson-Jack, has disclosed that the office space occupied by the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja was officially allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and not to the council itself.

Walson-Jack made the disclosure while appearing before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the controversy surrounding the PFIPC and the alleged forgery of official documents linked to its operations. She explained that her office did not allocate office accommodation to the council at any time.

According to the Head of Service, the PFIPC had approached her office seeking approval for its organisational structure and the deployment of civil servants. However, she said the request was initially rejected because the council failed to provide the legal documents required to establish a federal agency, including an enabling Act or other valid instrument.

She added that although the council later submitted additional documents, including an appointment letter for its purported Director-General and evidence of a budget code, her office never approved the deployment of civil servants to the organisation. She maintained that staff recruitment and deployment remain the responsibility of duly established government agencies.

The revelation comes amid ongoing investigations into the activities of the PFIPC and its alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is facing allegations of operating a non-existent government agency using forged official documents. The House committee is expected to continue its probe to determine how the council gained access to government facilities and official recognition.