Nwabueze challenges ICPC ‘Fake Agency’ claim

George Nwabueze, the National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, has challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s claim that he was running an unauthorised federal agency.

Nwabueze, in a bid to counter the allegation, released an appointment letter purportedly issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, showing his appointment to head the project office.

The development followed the ICPC’s announcement on Friday that President Bola Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest over his alleged role in establishing and promoting what the commission described as a “fake federal agency”.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, Nwabueze maintained that the Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office was a project office under the OSGF and had existed for 16 years.

“Made in Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from,” he said, arguing that the initiative had been domiciled in the SGF’s office since July 16, 2010.

He made the remarks after posting his appointment letter on LinkedIn in response to the ICPC’s allegation.

The letter, dated October 3, 2025, was purportedly issued by the OSGF and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare.

Addressed to “Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja”, the letter conveyed approval for his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF.

It stated that the appointment was for a five-year tenure beginning in July 2025 and was renewable.

According to the document, Nwabueze’s responsibilities included supervising programmes, projects and policies; coordinating regional and state coordinators across the 36 states; and organising exhibitions, trade expos, economic summits and other initiatives aimed at promoting Nigerian products and services.

The letter also stated that the project office was to operate temporarily from Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex.

It said the appointment was at the pleasure of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and was aligned with the objectives of the Made-in-Nigeria initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Bid for special-project status

Another document released by Nwabueze showed that his office had sought formal recognition as a special project.

The proposal, dated April 17, 2025, and signed by Gagare, was addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and titled, “A Proposal for the Made-in-Nigeria Project to be Granted Special Project Status”.

The document said the initiative had been operating for about five years and had promoted Nigerian products and services locally and internationally through economic forums and trade exhibitions.

It argued that granting the project special status would strengthen its credibility and effectiveness while contributing to employment creation, economic growth, poverty reduction and increased domestic production.

The proposal also linked the initiative to the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce import dependence, conserve foreign exchange, improve the trade balance and diversify the economy away from crude oil.

However, the document acknowledged that the project’s activities were still subject to review and that operational modalities would need to be developed.

ICPC maintains its position

The controversy arose from the ICPC’s investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

The commission’s Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, said investigators uncovered the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office during the probe.

Aliyu alleged that the office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and identified Nwabueze as its promoter. He further alleged that Nwabueze operated under different variations of his name and had the support of some senior officials within the OSGF.

The ICPC subsequently listed the project office among structures uncovered during its investigation.

Documents released by Nwabueze, however, appear to challenge the claim that the office had no official backing.

A report published on the organisation’s LinkedIn page also documented a stakeholders’ engagement in Nasarawa State involving Governor Abdullahi Sule.

Sule was quoted as saying that the state had domesticated the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and included it in its 2026 budget.

The organisation’s website also identified Nwabueze George as “Executive Director, National Coordinator” and displayed a structure comprising national, zonal and state coordinators.

OSGF office reportedly shut

Despite the competing claims, an OSGF staff member told Sunday PUNCH that the office had been closed for several months.

“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 accounts have raised questions about the precise legal and administrative status of the project office, particularly its authority to operate within the OSGF.

While the ICPC insists that the office was allocated space without presidential approval, the appointment letter released by Nwabueze indicates that the OSGF formally approved his appointment to lead the project.

The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, asked the newspaper to submit a formal letter before his office could respond.

Efforts to obtain a response from the ICPC spokesman, John Odey, were unsuccessful as calls to his telephone line were not reachable.

Meanwhile, police sources said the force had yet to receive an official briefing on the matter and that a manhunt for Nwabueze would only begin after such a briefing.