By Victor Itodo Abuh
THE RESOURCE Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has called for the immediate suspension of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and set up an independent investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
In a press statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Executive Director, Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, the organisation described the scandal as a serious threat to governance, accountability and public trust in Nigeria.
CHRICED said the country was facing multiple crises, including worsening insecurity, economic hardship and growing concerns over transparency in government.
According to the organisation, the controversy surrounding PFIPC has lent credibility to recent criticisms by the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, who described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as practising “Customer-Client Governance.”
“Today, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) raises the alarm with urgency and moral clarity. The PFIPC scandal is not an isolated aberration; it is a symptom of a deeper rot. It is a mirror held up to a governance structure increasingly defined by opacity, transactional power, and elite capture,” the statement read.
The organisation expressed concern over allegations made by the disowned Director-General of PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed that Gbajabiamila “procured the agency for him at a price.”
Describing the allegation as “grave, destabilizing and deeply troubling,” CHRICED said it “demands immediate and independent scrutiny,” adding that “no democracy can survive when public institutions become commodities in private marketplaces of influence.”
The organisation also linked the controversy to concerns raised in the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s 2026 Article IV Consultation Report, which reportedly indicated that about two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, estimated at approximately ₦8.83 trillion, was not reflected in the country’s 2025/2026 budget documents.
It described the discrepancy as “not merely an accounting error; it is a national emergency,” arguing that it raises serious questions about fiscal governance, public accountability and the integrity of public institutions.
CHRICED further lamented the country’s deteriorating security situation, noting that many communities continue to suffer from kidnappings, banditry and violent crime.
“Every act of governmental misconduct becomes doubly injurious—because it diverts attention, resources and moral authority away from the urgent task of securing the nation,” the statement added.
To address the issues, CHRICED demanded the immediate suspension of Gbajabiamila pending the outcome of a transparent investigation, the establishment of an independent investigative panel comprising civil society organisations, anti-corruption experts and respected jurists and the public disclosure of all government-linked councils, committees and intervention bodies, including their mandates, funding sources and operational frameworks.
The organisation also called on the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office to clarify the IMF’s observations on alleged untraceable government spending and urged the government to recommit to transparency and accountability.
CHRICED appealed to civil society groups, the media, trade unions, religious leaders, youth organisations, professional bodies and Nigerians to remain vigilant and demand accountability.
“Silence is complicity. Complacency is surrender. The nation must demand answers, insist on accountability and refuse to allow this scandal to be swept under the carpet of political convenience—especially now that another general election is looming,” the statement said.
It concluded by urging the government to confront the controversy with transparency and justice, insisting that “Nigeria must demand answers. Nigeria must insist on justice. And Nigeria must never again allow its future to be sold.”
