Nigeria Senate rejects motion to probe 1.3bn naira fund

For the second time in a week, Nigeria's Senate has rejected a motion to independently investigate how a 1.3 billion naira allocation for a purportedly fake government agency was included in the 2026 national budget. The decision, made during a plenary session on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, leaves the executive branch's investigation and an ongoing criminal case as the primary avenues for addressing the controversy.

Senator Suleiman Kawu, representing Kano South, sponsored the motion, arguing the legislature has a constitutional duty to examine its own appropriation process. He questioned how the budget for the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) was defended and approved by the National Assembly, given that the presidency has repeatedly stated the agency does not legally exist. "My concern is about the budget," Kawu said. "Who came to the National Assembly to defend the agency?"

Senate President Godswill Akpabio ruled against the motion, stating the matter was "overtaken by events" and was now "sub judice." He cited the criminal prosecution of the man at the center of the scandal, Adeniyi Adeyemi, and an investigation already ordered by President...