The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Esther Walson-Jack, has clarified that her office neither allocated office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja nor deployed staff to the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Appearing before the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee investigating the PFIPC scandal and the N1.3 billion allocated to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act, Walson-Jack explained that although her office received and noted a request for staff deployment, no officers were actually assigned to the council.
She further stated, “While there is speculation that the council occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat Phase Three, we can categorically state that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation did not allocate any such space to the PFIPC.”
Walson-Jack also revealed that the PFIPC had requested approval for its organisational structure, but the request was denied due to the council’s failure to provide required documentation. She added that her office, which is responsible for approving agencies’ conditions of service, had not received any such request from the PFIPC.
Additionally, Walson-Jack clarified that matters relating to personnel remuneration and emoluments fall under the jurisdiction of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, not her office. Remuneration for political appointees and chief executive officers, she noted, is the responsibility of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
She emphasized that new organisations must present an establishment Act or other valid documentation before their requests can be processed. At the 2025 annual workforce projection and human resources event, PFIPC officials reportedly stated that they were operating with personnel seconded from other government agencies. The council also sought authorisation for its establishment and a recruitment waiver, claiming to have 14 staff members on ground.
Walson-Jack reiterated, “The recruitment and placement of staff within agencies is not the responsibility of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; it is up to each agency to recruit and properly place their own staff.”
She added that the PFIPC submitted documents, including a purported appointment letter for its director-general and evidence of a budget code.
These clarifications come amid controversy over the legitimacy of the PFIPC. Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to be the council’s director-general, alleged he received an appointment letter from the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and paid for the post. Gbajabiamila has denied these allegations and has filed a lawsuit against Adeyemi, who was arrested in Osun State on July 14. The presidency has also denied the existence of the council and accused Adeyemi of forging the appointment letter.
