Buhari Never Created PFIPC — BMO

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has dismissed claims linking the late former President Muhammadu Buhari to the creation of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting that no such agency was established during his administration.

The group said reports suggesting that the disputed body originated under Buhari’s government were inaccurate and unsupported by facts. It maintained that the confusion arose from attempts to associate the alleged agency with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), which Buhari inaugurated on October 9, 2019.

In a statement issued by its Director-General, Tanimu Yakubu, BMO explained that the former president only set up the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, an independent advisory body created to provide expert guidance on economic matters.

According to the organisation, PEAC operated as a part-time advisory council made up of respected economists and financial experts. It was chaired by Professor Doyin Salami before his later appointment as Chief Economic Adviser to the President.

Other members of the council included Professor Mahmuda Sagagi as Vice Chairman, alongside Professor Ode Ojowu, Dr Shehu Yahaya, Dr Iyabo Masha, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Mr Bismarck Rewane and Dr Mohammed Salisu, who served as Secretary in his role as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Development Policy.

BMO said the council initially operated from offices on the second floor of the Federal Secretariat building that housed the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser, noting that Buhari had not appointed anyone to that position when the council was first established.

The organisation explained that PEAC did not have a dedicated budget throughout Buhari’s administration. Instead, its activities were funded through approvals granted by the President and processed by the Minister of Finance whenever necessary.

It also stated that members of the council were not placed on government salaries. Only office-related expenses were covered through approvals handled by the Permanent Secretary at the State House.

BMO further explained that when President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023, his administration neither formally dissolved the council nor renewed the appointments of its members. Since they were political appointees, the members regarded their tenure as having ended with the exit of the Buhari administration.

The organisation added that the office previously identified as both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser remained unused after the administration left office and was only occupied years later by other officials.

Addressing questions over how PFIPC reportedly appeared in the 2026 budget, BMO argued that the inclusion could not be blamed on the Buhari administration, since the former president only established PEAC and not any agency known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

The organisation insisted that attempts to connect Buhari with the ongoing controversy surrounding PFIPC were misleading and urged the public to distinguish between the advisory council created in 2019 and the disputed entity currently attracting public attention.