SERAP calls probe of N1.3bn allocation to phantom council

A Nigerian civil society organization has called for an investigation into the allocation of over 1.3 billion naira in the national budget to a presidential council that the executive branch says does not exist. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) issued a formal request to the leadership of the National Assembly on July 4, 2026, demanding transparency and accountability for the controversial budgetary item.

In a Freedom of Information request addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, SERAP demanded certified copies of all documents related to the approval of 1,302,978,784 naira allocated to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The request follows a statement from the Presidency on July 1, 2026, which declared the council a "fictitious body" that was never established by the federal government.

SERAP described the contradiction between the budget allocation and the Presidency's denial as a serious issue that raises concerns about the integrity of Nigeria's appropriation process, legislative oversight, and public...