SERAP demands probe of N1.3bn budget for non-existent presidential council

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to explain how more than ₦1.3 billion was allocated to a presidential council that the Presidency has described as non-existent.

In a Freedom of Information request addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the civic group demanded the release of documents detailing the approval of the allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The request, dated July 4, was disclosed on Sunday in a statement signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

SERAP specifically requested certified copies of records relating to the budgetary allocation made to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also referred to in some documents as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

The organisation also urged the National Assembly to invoke its investigative powers to determine how the allocation was approved and identify those responsible for any irregularities surrounding the process.

According to SERAP, lawmakers should disclose the identities of committee members who considered the budget proposal, as well as the government officials or representatives who defended the allocation during legislative scrutiny.

It also sought clarification on whether the funding request originated from the Executive’s appropriation proposal or was introduced during the National Assembly’s budget consideration process.

The organisation said the controversy surrounding the council had raised serious concerns about transparency, legislative oversight and public financial accountability, noting that the Presidency has consistently maintained that the council was never legally established.

SERAP argued that lawmakers have a constitutional duty to carefully scrutinise government spending proposals before approving public expenditure, stressing that Nigerians deserve to know whether public funds were appropriated for an agency without legal backing.

The organisation warned that it would initiate legal proceedings if the requested information was not provided within seven days, insisting that the matter required full public disclosure in the interest of accountability.