The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Esther Walson-Jack, says her office did not allocate office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja nor deploy staff to the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Walson-Jack said this in her appearance before the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee probing the PFIPC scandal and the N1.3 billion allocated to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“The request for deployment of officers was received and noted for consideration. However, there was no deployment of officers by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to the council,” she said.
The Head of Service noted that “while there is speculation that the council occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat Phase Three, we can state categorically that the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation did not allocate any office space to the PFIPC”.
According to her, the PFIPC had approached her office, requesting the approval of its organisational structure. However, the request was turned down because the ‘council’ did not submit the necessary documents.
She said that while the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has responsibility for approval of conditions of service of agencies, there is no record of such a request from the council.
“Meanwhile, remuneration and emoluments of personnel are not under the purview of the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation but under the purview of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission,” she said.
According to her, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is responsible for the remuneration of political appointees and chief executive officers.
Walson-Jack said that new organisations must provide either an establishment Act or other valid documents establishing their existence before such demands are processed.
She told the committee that at the 2025 annual workforce projection and human resources event, PFIPC officials said they were participating and operating with personnel seconded from other government agencies.
According to her, PFIPC requested an authorised establishment and a recruitment waiver to get substantive staff and told her office that 14 officials were on the ground already.
“We also wish to state that recruitment and placement of staff in agencies or into agencies is not under the purview of the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. It is the responsibility of the agencies to recruit and carry out proper placement of their staff,” she said.
Walson-Jack said the agency also submitted copies of its ‘director-general’s appointment letter’ and documents indicating that it had a budget code.
Her comment comes amid the PFIPC controversy. Adeniyi Adeyemi, the man who paraded himself as the director-general of the agency, had claimed the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, issued him an appointment letter.
He also claimed to have paid money to the former lawmaker for the appointment.
But Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations and has filed a suit against Adeyemi, who was arrested in Osun State on July 14.
The presidency has also denied the existence of such a council and accused Adeyemi of forging the appointment letter.
