The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Buchi Nwabueze, has challenged the allegation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that he headed a fictitious Federal Government agency.
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Nwabueze, who spoke with journalists on Saturday, insisted that the office was a project office domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and had been in existence for years.
The ICPC had on Friday announced that President Bola Tinubu ordered Nwabueze’s arrest over his alleged role in operating and promoting what the commission described as a fake federal agency.
The commission alleged that the outfit was being run with the assistance of some senior officials in the OSGF.
But Nwabueze dismissed the allegation, saying the initiative had operated under the SGF’s office since July 2010.
“Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where ‘fake agency’ comes from. A programme that has been in the SGF’s office since July 16, 2010, was just discovered yesterday. After 16 years; Nigeria is a funny country,” he said.
In an apparent effort to counter the ICPC’s claim, Nwabueze published on LinkedIn an appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF and dated October 3, 2025.
The letter, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare, conveyed his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF.
It stated that the appointment was for an initial five-year tenure beginning from July 2025, subject to renewal, and vested him with responsibilities including supervising programmes and projects, coordinating state and regional officers, and organising trade exhibitions, economic summits and other activities promoting Nigerian products.
Another document shared by Nwabueze showed that the project office had earlier sought official recognition as a special project.
The April 17, 2025 proposal, also signed by Gagare, said the initiative had promoted locally made products and services through economic forums and trade exhibitions and argued that special-project status would strengthen its operations.
The document said the initiative was expected to support employment generation, economic growth, local production and poverty reduction, while reducing dependence on imported goods and conserving foreign exchange.
However, the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, maintained that the office was among the structures uncovered during an investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Aliyu said investigators discovered that the office had been allocated space within the OSGF without presidential approval, identifying Nwabueze as its promoter and alleging that he had the backing of some senior public servants.
Documents and materials released by Nwabueze, however, appeared to contradict the claim that the project had no official backing.
A report published by the organisation, for instance, documented an engagement with Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who said the state had incorporated the initiative into its 2026 budget.
The organisation’s website also listed Nwabueze as its Executive Director/National Coordinator and displayed a structure comprising national, zonal and state coordinators.
Meanwhile, an OSGF staff member told journalists that the office had been closed for several months, adding that it was not operating as a conventional government agency.
“It was not operating as an agency, but I know it was under investigation. The office was shut months ago,” the source said.
The conflicting positions have raised questions over the legal and administrative status of the project office and the extent of its relationship with the OSGF.
Efforts to obtain further clarification from the OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, were unsuccessful, as he requested a formal letter before responding. The ICPC spokesman, John Odey, could also not be reached as of press time.
Meanwhile, police sources said the force had not been formally briefed about the matter and would await official communication before taking further action.
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