The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, has admitted that her office failed to conduct adequate due diligence before approving recruitment requests associated with the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Walson-Jack made the admission on Wednesday while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee investigating the activities of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
She told lawmakers that her office relied on documents submitted by representatives of the organisations without independently verifying their authenticity before issuing official approvals.
According to her, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service received a Letter of Appointment and an Establishment Act, which formed the basis for granting an Authorised Establishment and, subsequently, a Recruitment Waiver.
“My office received the Letter of Appointment and the Establishment Act and, based on those documents and also based on the interaction with the representatives of the PEAC and PFICP, we went on to issue the Authorised Establishment and later the Recruitment Waiver,” she said.
The Head of Service acknowledged that the approvals should not have been granted without more rigorous verification of the documents presented.
“We now, having seen all the facts and observed all the documents, concede that we ought to have carried out more due diligence in the discharge of the duties of the office in issuing an Authorised Establishment and a Recruitment Waiver to the PEAC/PFICP,” she stated.
Explaining how the approvals were processed, Walson-Jack noted that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council had previously operated as an ad hoc body, a factor she said may have contributed to the confusion surrounding the documents.
“We do know that the PEAC used to exist as an ad hoc organisation on its own, and the documents that were presented had PEAC/PFICP. However, as I said, due diligence may have detected whether those documents were actually authentic,” she added.
The House Committee is probing the activities of the PFIPC, a purported government agency accused of fraudulent operations. The investigation seeks to establish how the council secured official recognition and recruitment approvals from government institutions despite questions over its legal status.
The investigative panel, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, who represents the Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, has continued its hearings as it examines the circumstances surrounding the council’s operations and approvals.
