The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, has admitted that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before approving recruitment requests linked to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Walson-Jack made the admission on Wednesday while appearing before the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the activities of the purported council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
She told lawmakers that her office relied on documents presented by representatives of the organisations without independently verifying their authenticity.
“My office received the Letter of Appointment and the Establishment Act and, based on those documents, as well as our interactions with representatives of the PEAC and PFIPC, we issued the Authorised Establishment and subsequently the Recruitment Waiver,” she said.
The Head of Service acknowledged that the approvals should not have been granted without more thorough verification.
“Having now reviewed all the facts and documents, we concede that we ought to have exercised greater due diligence before issuing the Authorised Establishment and Recruitment Waiver to the PEAC/PFIPC,” she said.
Explaining the circumstances surrounding the approvals, Walson-Jack noted that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council had previously operated as an ad hoc body, which may have contributed to the confusion.
“We knew that the PEAC had existed as an ad hoc organisation, and the documents presented to us bore the names PEAC/PFIPC. However, proper due diligence would have established whether those documents were authentic,” she added.
The House committee is investigating the activities of the alleged PFIPC over claims that it fraudulently operated as a government agency and obtained official recognition, office accommodation and recruitment approvals from government institutions without legal backing.
The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, who represents Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, is expected to continue its investigation into the matter.
