NEWS
Nwabueze Rejects ICPC’s Fake Agency Allegation, Releases Documents Claiming OSGF Backing
A major controversy has erupted over the status of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, as its National Coordinator and Executive Director, George Nwabueze, has strongly rejected allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that he was operating a fake government agency.
Nwabueze insisted that the office was neither illegal nor fictitious, maintaining that it was a project office operating under the supervision of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The controversy deepened after the ICPC announced that President Bola Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest over allegations surrounding the operation of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office.
The anti-corruption commission had described the outfit as a fake federal agency allegedly operating from office space within the OSGF premises without presidential approval.
However, Nwabueze has mounted a vigorous defence, releasing documents which he said established that his appointment and the activities of the project had official backing from the OSGF.
Speaking with PUNCH on Saturday, Nwabueze challenged the claim that the project was a fake agency and questioned how an initiative that he said had been connected with the OSGF for years could suddenly be declared unauthorised.
“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 16 July 2010 was just discovered yesterday (Friday). After 16 years; Nigeria is a funny country.”
The statement came after Nwabueze posted what he described as his official appointment letter on LinkedIn, setting the stage for a fresh round of questions over the status of the project and the alleged involvement of officials within the OSGF.
Appointment Letter Emerges:-
One of the documents released by Nwabueze was an appointment letter dated October 3, 2025, purportedly issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The document carried the reference number OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205 and was signed by Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary in the Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF.
It was addressed to “Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.”
According to the document, approval had been granted for Nwabueze’s appointment as National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF.
The appointment was said to be for a period of five years beginning from July 2025, with an option for renewal.
“I am directed to formally convey the approval of your appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” the letter stated.
The document further indicated that the appointment followed “a careful evaluation of your commitment, contribution, and capacity in delivering on the mandate of the Special Project Office.”
Under the responsibilities reportedly assigned to him, Nwabueze was expected to oversee programmes and projects, coordinate policies and supervise regional and state coordinators across the federation.
He was also expected to organise exhibitions, trade fairs, economic summits and other activities aimed at promoting Nigerian products and services.
The letter also indicated that the project office would operate temporarily from Room B53 on the Ground Floor of the OSGF complex.
“Please note that this appointment is at the pleasure of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and in line with the objectives of the Made in Nigeria initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda,” it added.
The project’s website currently presents the office as a strategic initiative of the OSGF focused on promoting locally made goods, supporting businesses and encouraging economic diversification.
Its stated activities include trade exhibitions, economic forums, brand development and support for small and medium-sized businesses.
Project Sought Special Status:-
Another document released by Nwabueze appeared to show that officials associated with the initiative had sought formal recognition for the Made-in-Nigeria Project as a Special Project.
The document was dated April 17, 2025, addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and carried the reference number PS-PEAO/2025/008/4.
Signed by Gagare, the document was titled A Proposal for the Made-in-Nigeria Project to be Granted Special Project Status.
According to the proposal, the initiative had been involved in promoting Nigerian products and services both within the country and internationally through economic forums, trade exhibitions and other promotional activities.
The proposal argued that granting the project special status could contribute to job creation, economic growth and poverty reduction.
It also linked the initiative to efforts aimed at boosting local production and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods.
According to the document, increased patronage of Nigerian-made products could help conserve foreign exchange and improve the country’s trade balance.
The project also presented itself as being aligned with the Federal Government’s wider objective of diversifying the economy and reducing dependence on crude oil.
However, the document indicated that the activities of the project were still subject to review and that operational arrangements would need to be developed.
ICPC Maintains Agency Was Unauthorised:-
Despite the documents released by Nwabueze, the ICPC’s position remains sharply different.
The commission’s chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, had announced the discovery of the outfit while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja.
According to Aliyu, investigators uncovered the project while probing the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and examining weaknesses in government procedures.
He said the Made in Nigeria office had been allocated space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation.
Aliyu identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the operation and alleged that some senior public servants within the OSGF were involved.
The ICPC subsequently announced that President Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest.
The commission also alleged that Nwabueze had used different versions of his name in connection with the activities of the organisation.
The development has now raised even more serious questions about how an organisation described by the anti-corruption commission as unauthorised was able to operate from government premises and possess documents purportedly issued by a senior official of the OSGF.
Documents Put OSGF Involvement Under Spotlight:-
The documents released by Nwabueze appear to challenge the ICPC’s assertion that the project had no official connection with the Federal Government.
The organisation’s website also identifies the initiative as operating under the OSGF and lists Nwabueze as its Executive Director and National Coordinator.
Its published framework similarly states that the project would operate under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary in the Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF.
The framework outlines national, regional and state structures while identifying the OSGF as responsible for overall supervision and policy alignment.
The organisation’s website also lists its Abuja office as B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex at the Three Arms Zone.
However, the existence of the documents does not by itself resolve the central dispute over whether the project possessed the necessary presidential or statutory approval required to operate as a federal government entity.
That question remains at the heart of the unfolding controversy.
Nasarawa Governor Linked to Initiative:-
Further documents and reports shared by the organisation also showed an engagement involving Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule.
According to the report, Sule said the state had adopted the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and incorporated it into its 2026 budget.
“For us in Nasarawa State, we have since domesticated this initiative of the Federal Government in our solemn commitment to promote local contents and have value for resources abound in our dear state,” Sule was quoted as saying.
“I’m happy to inform you that we did not only domesticate this project, but we also accord special attention to its operationalisation by including it in our 2026 budget,” he added.
The same report quoted Nwabueze as saying that the initiative was domiciled in the OSGF and had responsibility for promoting the national brand.
The organisation has also maintained an online presence and listed national, zonal and state coordinators as part of its operational structure.
OSGF Yet to Resolve Contradictions:-
As the controversy intensified, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation had yet to publicly provide a detailed explanation of the documents released by Nwabueze.
The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, reportedly asked journalists to formally write to the office before an official response could be provided.
Nwabueze also declined to provide further details when contacted after releasing the documents.
Similarly, the ICPC spokesman, John Odey, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing the report.
Meanwhile, a staff member of the OSGF reportedly told journalists that the office had been shut for months and was not operating as an agency.
“It was not operating as an agency but I know was under investigation… The office was shut months ago,” the staff member said.
The conflicting accounts have thrown the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office into the centre of a growing institutional controversy.
While Nwabueze insists that the project has operated under the OSGF and has released documents he says support that claim, the ICPC maintains that the operation was unauthorised and lacked the required presidential approval.
Until the OSGF provides a clear and comprehensive explanation of the documents, the allocation of office space and the precise legal status of the project, questions will continue to surround how the Made in Nigeria initiative was established, who authorised its activities and whether the documents now circulating represent official approval or merely part of a process that was never fully concluded.
For now, the controversy has exposed what appears to be a deep conflict between the claims of the project’s leadership and the findings of Nigeria’s anti-corruption commission, with the true status of the Made in Nigeria project still hanging in the balance.