ICPC uncovers National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office allegedly operating without presidential authorisation, as investigation widens into a network of fictitious government bodies
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and directed the suspension of three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another alleged fake government agency operating within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The latest development was disclosed by the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, SAN, after briefing President Tinubu at the State House Abuja on Friday on the commission’s ongoing investigation into fictitious government agencies and procedural weaknesses within the public service.
The agency uncovered by the ICPC is operating under the name “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.” According to the commission, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF despite allegedly having no presidential authorisation and contrary to established public service procedures.
The discovery has further widened an investigation that began with the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFICP) and has now exposed what the ICPC says is a troubling pattern involving purported government offices and agencies operating without lawful approval.
Following the briefing, the President directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze, identified by the ICPC as the promoter of the alleged fake office.
He also ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries identified as M.S. Danjuma, Engineer Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah, pending further investigation.
Announcing the presidential directives, Aliyu said the latest discovery emerged from the broader investigation earlier ordered by President Tinubu.
“Upon further brief by ICPC to Mr. President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFICP) and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered another fake agency and office operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which has been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Aliyu said.
The ICPC chairman said preliminary findings indicated that the office was promoted by Nwabueze, with suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
He described the arrangement as contrary to existing laws and said there was no authorisation from the President for the purported agency to operate as a government institution.
“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
Investigators also discovered that Nwabueze allegedly operated under several variations of his name, a development that has become part of the commission’s investigation.
According to Aliyu, the names include George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
The ICPC said it had engaged officials of the OSGF to obtain information and documents relevant to the investigation and had subsequently presented its findings to President Tinubu.
“ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly. Mr. President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries: M.S. Danjuma, Engineer Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” Aliyu said.
The latest revelation represents the fourth alleged unlawful agency uncovered by the anti-corruption commission since the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council came to public attention.
The PFICP controversy, which emerged earlier in the year, triggered questions about the existence, approval and activities of organisations presenting themselves as government agencies despite questions over their legal status.
Its self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing investigation over the disputed council.
The ICPC’s investigation subsequently expanded beyond the initial PFICP controversy. In an interim report submitted to President Tinubu on August 6 after a 30-day probe, the commission disclosed the discovery of two additional fictitious bodies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The emergence of another alleged fake agency within the physical premises of the OSGF has now raised further concerns over how unauthorised organisations could gain access to government facilities and present themselves as legitimate arms or initiatives of the Federal Government.
The development also places renewed attention on internal administrative controls within government offices, particularly the processes through which office spaces are allocated and organisations are permitted to operate within federal government premises.
The ICPC has indicated that its investigation remains ongoing, suggesting that additional findings or individuals could emerge as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency and its links within the public service.
The House of Representatives has also opened an investigation into the PFICP controversy and the activities of its disputed Director-General. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Accountant-General of the Federation have appeared before the House in connection with the parliamentary probe.
The latest presidential directives therefore mark a significant escalation in the Federal Government’s response to the proliferation of alleged fictitious agencies and unauthorised government-linked offices.
Beyond the arrest and suspensions, the investigation has opened a broader question about institutional accountability: how could an organisation allegedly lacking presidential approval secure office accommodation inside one of the Federal Government’s most important administrative centres?
For the Tinubu administration, the unfolding investigation is no longer simply about one disputed agency. It has become a test of the integrity of government processes, the effectiveness of administrative oversight and the ability of anti-corruption institutions to identify and dismantle structures allegedly operating in the name of government without lawful authority.
As the ICPC presses ahead with its investigation, attention will now focus on the circumstances under which the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office obtained access to the OSGF, the identities and roles of its alleged collaborators, and whether further unauthorised entities may still be operating within or around the Federal Government’s administrative structure.
The President’s decision to order an arrest and suspend three senior civil servants signals that the administration intends to treat the matter as more than an administrative irregularity.
For an investigation that began with one controversial council and has now uncovered several other alleged fictitious bodies, the latest discovery could prove to be another chapter in a much larger examination of how government authority is represented, exercised and protected within Nigeria’s public service.
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