PFIPC SCANDAL: HEAD OF SERVICE ADMITS DUE DILIGENCE FAILURE BEFORE HOUSE OF REPS COMMITTEE

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack, has admitted before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before issuing key administrative approvals to a purported federal agency. Appearing before the parliamentary panel investigating the alleged operation of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) without legal backing, Walson-Jack conceded that administrative oversights allowed forged documents to pass through official channels unverified.

​The investigative panel, chaired by Representative Yusuf Gagdi, uncovered what it described as an elaborate web of fake appointment letters, fabricated legislative documents, and fictitious government departments used by the promoters of the disputed agency to obtain official recognition and budget inclusions. During her testimony, Walson-Jack explained that representatives of the purported council attended the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence, presenting what appeared to be an authentic Establishment Act alongside a letter appointing a Director-General bearing the State House logo and a familiar signature. Relying on the apparent authenticity of these documents, the civil service office granted an Authorized Establishment and a provisional recruitment waiver.

​However, under cross-examination, Walson-Jack accepted full responsibility for the administrative lapse, acknowledging that simple verification checks would have exposed the falsified paperwork. She noted that subsequent forensic analysis by the Nigerian Police Force confirmed that the signatures on the documents differed significantly from authentic State House correspondence. Lawmakers pointed out that the purported Establishment Act lacked standard legislative identifiers, such as citation numbers, Supreme Court reference numbers, or official Gazette publications. In response, the Head of Service assured the committee that internal verification procedures across the civil service are being urgently overhauled to prevent similar fraudulent schemes in the future.

​The hearing also revealed systemic lapses across other federal institutions. Officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation admitted that a staff member diverted official correspondence intended for the Permanent Secretary of the State House, further delaying the unraveling of the scheme. Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, clarified to the committee that although funds were allocated to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act, no public money was disbursed or spent because the statutory conditions required for fund release were never met.

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​This video provides direct broadcast footage and analysis of Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack's testimony before the House of Representatives investigative committee. PFIPC Probe: Walson-Jack Admits Due Diligence Failure