President Bola Tinubu has suspended three top officials and ordered the immediate arrest of Nwabueze George, the promoter of a newly uncovered fake federal agency, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office. The action, taken on Friday, followed a 30-day investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which submitted its findings to the President. This marks the fourth phoney agency the ICPC has uncovered in its recent investigation.
ICPC Uncovers Fourth Fake Agency
The ICPC chairperson, Musa Aliyu, told journalists after meeting with Mr Tinubu that the agency allegedly operates under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). The discovery came barely two months after a similar case made headlines, and during the ICPC's investigation into that earlier case. Although the commission stated that the organisation operated without presidential authorisation, documents exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show that it presented itself to state governments as an official federal initiative operating from the OSGF.
Among the documents bearing the insignia of the presidency were a letter of appointment, approvals, and a series of correspondence to state governors, seeking financial, land, and other forms of support. The agency also has a dedicated website and state coordinators across the country, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Letters to Governors Reveal Scope
Between January and February, the agency wrote to governors in Lagos, Imo, Ondo, Sokoto, Edo, and Nasarawa, seeking government support, state coordinators, funding or fees, land, and participation in programmes in Nigeria and abroad. All the letters were signed by Nwabueze George, identified as the Executive Director of the National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project.
The agency repeatedly identified itself as a federal initiative operating from the OSGF office. Its letters were headed “The Presidency – National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office” and identified the office as being under the OSGF, Director SGF Office, at Shagari House, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
In a 9 January letter marked “Third Reminder” and addressed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the agency sought the nomination and appointment of a Lagos State coordinator for its purported Made in Nigeria project. The letter said the appointment would facilitate collaboration between the federal and state governments and promote local production, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industrial growth, and international trade. The letter told the governor that the nominee’s details would be used for “formal confirmation” and the issuance of an appointment letter from the Abuja office.
Bank Accounts and Financial Demands
In one of the letters dated 23 February, the agency sought authorisation to pay for a summit in Bahrain. The letter directed the state to make payments into accounts belonging to the Made in Nigeria Project Office, Abuja. It provided both a naira account and a dollar domiciliary account at Zenith Bank. The agency said it was awaiting payment of $2,500 per person for registration, exhibition, and participation in the Bahrain engagement. It proposed a quota of five government officials and 25 private-sector participants from Edo State. At the stated rate, a full delegation of 30 people would have amounted to $75,000, equivalent to about N100 million at the estimated exchange rate at the time.
The agency’s correspondence with Nasarawa State provides a clearer picture of the scale of its operation. It sought Governor Abdullahi Sule’s support for a “national stakeholders’” meeting in Lafia, scheduled for 28 to 30 April. The proposed meeting was to involve national coordinating officers and state coordinators and, among other objectives, to inaugurate a State Coordinators Executive Council comprising representatives from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The organisation said the event would formally launch its national structure.
Land Requests and International Events
The agency also sought a physical presence in Ondo State. On 13 January, it wrote to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, requesting land for a “Made in Nigeria Product Market.” The proposed facility was described as a national platform for promoting, producing, exhibiting, and commercialising Nigerian-made goods, brands, and services. The agency said the facility would provide space for manufacturers, artisans, innovators, and SMEs and serve as a reference hub for Made in Nigeria products. It also assured the governor that the project would comply with the Ondo Master Plan and relevant state regulations.
In another letter dated 23 January, the agency invited Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as a “special guest of honour” and a speaker at its national inaugural convention scheduled to hold between 5 and 7 February in Lafia, Nasarawa. The letter went beyond an invitation, asking the governor to provide financial support for transportation, hotel accommodation, feeding, conference materials, registration, training, and other logistics.
The agency subsequently invited states to participate in international product fairs in Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, China, South Korea, and Oman. In a 10 February letter to Governor Ahmad Aliyu, the organisation invited Sokoto State to participate in food and agricultural expos in Bahrain and Azerbaijan. Noting that it operates under OSGF, it wrote that it had a mandate to promote non-oil exports, showcase Nigerian agriculture, and attract foreign investment. The Bahrain event was scheduled for 1 to 5 April, while the Azerbaijan event was scheduled for 5 to 8 May. The organisation promised participating states access to international markets, meetings with buyers and investors, and exposure to export standards and agricultural technologies.
