calling exec() in php – CPanel

Just migrated a website from a linux server without a cpanel to a server with a cpanel. My problem is when I hit start to start a process which executes a php file. It will not run the file. If I run the file from terminal everything works.

The code that calls the file.

if ($do === "start_service") {
     create_marker_file("$service_running_marker");
     system_bg("php $dir/$service_script");
     $message = "Started Service!";
     $running = true;
     $status = "Running";
}

The systembg is a function.

function system_bg($command) {
    exec('bash -c "exec nohup setsid ' . $command . ' > /dev/null 2>&1  &"');
}

If i do ps ax | grep service.php in terminal is see this

/opt/cpanel/ea-php70/root/usr/bin/php-cgi /home/xsocial1/public_html/xsmp/service.php

When I run the file in terminal this is what i see when I run ps ax | grep service.php

/opt/cpanel/ea-php70/root/usr/bin/php service.php

I think my problem is I need the server to call a cli call and not a cgi call