N1.3 billion for a council that does not exist — SERAP demands answers

SERAP has sent a Freedom of Information request to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas demanding to know who approved over N1.3 billion in the 2026 budget for a council the Presidency says never existed. This Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council received N1,302,978,784 despite the Presidency stating on July 1 that it was never created by the Federal Government. So the question is simple — where did this money go and who signed off on it?

SERAP's Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare signed the request dated July 4, 2026, asking for all documents related to the approval of this allocation. They want to know which National Assembly committees handled it, which lawmakers were involved, and whether anyone raised concerns about the legal status of this council during the budget process. The organisation has given the National Assembly seven days to comply or face legal action.

This is the same National Assembly that is supposed to scrutinise every naira before it leaves the treasury. If N1.3 billion can be allocated to a non-existent body without anyone asking questions, then what else is buried in the budget? The Presidency denies creating this council, yet the money was approved. Someone must explain this discrepancy or we are simply watching public funds disappear into thin air.