TDThe controversy surrounding the alleged establishment of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has taken a new turn following the emergence of documents indicating that the agency received official approval to recruit 300 staff despite the Federal Government’s insistence that it was never a legally established institution.
According to documents published by TheCable, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation issued a formal waiver dated August 7, 2025, authorising the PFIPC to recruit 300 personnel.
The approval, reportedly signed by Mimi Abu, Director of Organisation Design and Development, was said to have granted the council a special exemption from the Federal Government’s embargo on recruitment into the federal civil service.
The waiver reportedly approved the recruitment of 10 Directors on Grade Level 17, 20 Assistant Directors on Grade Level 15, 45 planning officers, 32 commercial officers, 22 investment promotion officers, 26 accountants, 10 legal officers, alongside procurement officers, programme analysts, information officers, statisticians, technical officers, confidential secretaries, drivers and other personnel, bringing the total approved workforce to 300.
One aspect of the document attracting attention is its reference to the PFIPC as an existing government agency.
According to the reported contents, the waiver stated that the approval was “based on and limited to the 2025 Approved Establishment position of the Agency.”
The document also reportedly directed the council to obtain clearance from the Budget Office before commencing recruitment, comply with the Federal Character principle, reserve five per cent of the positions for persons living with disabilities, ensure officials from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service monitored the recruitment process, and submit the names of successful candidates for official records.
The emergence of the waiver has intensified questions over the government’s handling of the PFIPC controversy.
According to reports, just a day after the waiver was issued, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the council’s leader, publicly announced the approval and expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He also claimed that approval had been granted for the establishment of PFIPC offices across Nigeria’s 36 states as well as 127 international offices.
Those claims have been independently verified.
The latest revelations appear to conflict with recent statements from the Presidency distancing itself from the PFIPC and maintaining that the body was never lawfully created by the Federal Government.
The reported recruitment waiver has therefore raised fresh questions over how an organisation described by government officials as non-existent could receive an approved establishment, a recruitment waiver, and detailed administrative directives involving the Budget Office, Federal Character requirements and oversight by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service.
As the controversy continues, attention is expected to focus on clarifications from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and other government institutions whose names appear in the documents, amid calls for a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding the approval.
