‘Fake Agency’ Boss Defends Office With Appointment Letter

The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Buchi Nwabueze, has rejected allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that he was operating a fake federal agency.

Nwabueze, who spoke following the ICPC’s announcement that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had ordered his arrest, said the Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office was a project office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

He argued that the initiative had existed within the OSGF for about 16 years, questioning why its existence was only being challenged now.

Nwabueze made the clarification while responding to enquiries from Sunday PUNCH after sharing his appointment letter on LinkedIn.

The letter, dated October 3, 2025, and purportedly issued by the OSGF, conveyed approval for his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office.

It was signed by Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, and indicated that Nwabueze’s appointment was for a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025, renewable subject to approval.

The document stated that his responsibilities included supervising programmes and projects, coordinating activities across the 36 states, and organising exhibitions, trade fairs, economic summits and other initiatives designed to promote Nigerian-made products and services.

The appointment letter also stated that the project office would temporarily operate from premises within the OSGF complex in Abuja.

Nwabueze’s defence came after ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, identified the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office as one of the outfits uncovered during investigations into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

According to the ICPC chairman, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation and was being promoted by Nwabueze with the alleged support of some senior public servants.

The commission subsequently said President Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest.

Request for special project status

Nwabueze also released another document showing that the office had sought formal recognition as a Special Project.

The document, dated April 17, 2025, was signed by Gagare and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Titled “A Proposal for the Made-in-Nigeria Project to be Granted Special Project Status,” the document stated that the initiative had been promoting Nigerian-made products and services locally and internationally.

It cited trade exhibitions, economic forums, employment creation, economic growth and poverty reduction among the expected benefits of granting the initiative special project status.

The proposal further argued that the initiative could help reduce dependence on imported goods, conserve foreign exchange and support the Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the economy away from crude oil.

However, the document also indicated that the project’s activities were still subject to review and the development of appropriate operational modalities.

Conflicting claims over status

Documents shared by Nwabueze also included reports of activities involving government officials and state authorities.

One report highlighted a stakeholders’ engagement in Nasarawa State where Governor Abdullahi Sule reportedly said the state had domesticated the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and included it in its 2026 budget.

The organisation’s website also identifies Nwabueze as its Executive Director/National Coordinator and lists national, zonal and state coordinators.

However, an OSGF staff member told Sunday PUNCH that the office had been shut for months and was not operating as an agency.

The conflicting accounts have raised questions over the legal and administrative status of the project office, particularly whether it had formal authorisation to operate within the OSGF.

While the ICPC maintains that the outfit lacked presidential authorisation, documents released by Nwabueze appear to show that the OSGF formally approved his appointment and was involved in discussions concerning the project.

The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, requested that enquiries be formally submitted to the office before it could provide a response.

Efforts to obtain comments from the ICPC spokesman, John Odey, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing.

Meanwhile, police sources said they had not been formally briefed about the matter and that no manhunt for Nwabueze would begin until an official communication was received.