Senator Suleiman Kawu has criticised the Senate’s decision to halt a proposed investigation into the controversial ₦1.3 billion budget allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), warning that “history will judge us” for failing to fully exercise the legislature’s oversight responsibilities.

Kawu, who represents Kano South, had urged the Red Chamber to investigate how an agency the Presidency has described as non-existent secured ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act. He argued that the controversy threatens the credibility of the National Assembly and undermines public confidence in Nigeria’s budgetary process.

According to legislative sources, the PFIPC’s budget reportedly bypassed the normal budget defence process before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters. The report alleged that the agency’s management never appeared before the committee, raising questions about how the allocation was approved.

Kawu proposed that the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions and Appropriations investigate who facilitated the inclusion of the budget line, whether any funds had been released, and whether bank accounts had been opened or operated for the agency.

However, the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, ruled that the Senate should not commence a separate inquiry, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had already directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the controversy. The Senate consequently opted to await the outcome of the executive probe.

The PFIPC controversy has continued to fuel public debate over transparency, accountability, and legislative oversight, with critics arguing that the circumstances surrounding the agency’s inclusion in the national budget warrant a thorough and independent investigation.