PFIPC Office Space At Federal Secretariat Was Allocated To OSGF— Head Of Service
The head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Esther Walson-Jack, has said the office space used by the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) at the federal secretariat in Abuja was allocated to the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (OSGF).
Walson-Jack spoke on Monday when she appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the PFIPC controversy and the N1.3 billion allocated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The HOS further told the committee that her office had no constitutional mandate to establish government agencies, noting that such responsibilities rested with relevant authorities.
Walson-Jack further denied allegations that civil servants were deployed to the council by her office, adding that the OHCSF did not allocate office accommodation to the body.
“We wish to state that there was no deployment of staff by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to the council,” she said.
The office also stated that issues concerning the establishment and supervision of the council fell under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other relevant institutions.
A representative of the office added, “The approval and establishment of agencies is not within the purview of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. However, the OHCSF is responsible for approving the administrative structure of federal government agencies.”
The office disclosed that the council applied for approval of its organisational structure on August 6, 2025, but the request was not granted because the required supporting documents were not provided.
“From our records, the council submitted a request to the OHCSF for approval of its organisational structure on the 6th of August, 2025, without providing the requisite documents. Consequently, the request was not granted,” the official told lawmakers.
The OHCSF, however, confirmed that officials of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/PFIPC had requested an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver during the 2025 annual manpower budget defence exercise.
According to the office, the council informed officials that it had been operating mainly with personnel deployed or seconded from other government institutions.
The committee was told that the council requested approval for 314 positions, comprising 14 existing officers and 300 additional positions, which was later issued as part of manpower approvals granted to federal agencies.
The OHCSF also revealed that it subsequently discovered irregularities in documents presented by the council as its legal foundation.
“It was observed that the document presented by the council as its enabling law or legal instrument did not really carry the requisite features,” the representative further stated.