Fake agency boss George Nwabueze has rejected an allegation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that he ran an unauthorised federal outfit. Nwabueze produced an appointment letter he says came from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
ABUJA, NIGERIA — George Nwabueze, National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, has pushed back against the fake agency boss allegation after the ICPC said his outfit lacked presidential authorisation. Nwabueze says the office operates under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and has existed for years.
Nwabueze responded after the ICPC identified his office during its investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, another outfit that authorities have described as fictitious. The commission said investigators discovered that Nwabueze’s office occupied space within the OSGF complex without presidential approval and alleged that senior public servants supported its activities. Nwabueze has rejected that account.
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, Nwabueze said the Made in Nigeria Special Project Office was not a fake federal agency but a project office domiciled in the SGF’s office. He questioned how the programme could suddenly become an alleged fake agency after operating for years. He said the initiative had existed since July 16, 2010, describing the development as a surprising discovery after such a long period.
The biggest document in Nwabueze’s defence is an appointment letter dated October 3, 2025, which he shared on LinkedIn. The document, referenced OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205, was purportedly issued by the OSGF and signed by Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary in the Political and Economic Affairs Office. It conveyed approval for Nwabueze to serve as National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office.
According to the document, Nwabueze’s appointment carried a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025 and could be renewed. It also listed duties including supervision of programmes, projects and policies, coordination of regional and state coordinators across Nigeria’s 36 states, and organisation of trade exhibitions, economic summits and other activities designed to promote Nigerian products and services. The letter also indicated that the project office would temporarily operate from Room B53 inside the OSGF complex.
Newstridez reviewed the details contained in the reported appointment letter and the ICPC’s allegations and found that the dispute now centres on the authority behind the Made in Nigeria office, rather than simply its existence. Nwabueze’s documents appear intended to show that officials within the OSGF knew about the project and formally backed his appointment, while the ICPC maintains that the outfit lacked the required presidential authorisation.
Nwabueze also released another document dated April 17, 2025, showing that the office had sought recognition as a Special Project. The document, signed by Gagare and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the Made-in-Nigeria initiative had promoted Nigerian products and services locally and internationally. It also linked the project to job creation, economic growth, poverty reduction and efforts to reduce dependence on imported goods.
The document further argued that promoting locally produced goods could help conserve foreign exchange, strengthen domestic industries and improve Nigeria’s trade balance. It said the initiative fitted the Federal Government’s broader push to diversify the economy away from crude oil. However, the proposal also stated that the project’s activities should undergo review and that operational arrangements should be developed, leaving room for questions over its formal status and structure.
The controversy matters because Nigerians have watched a separate scandal involving the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council expose weaknesses in how individuals and unofficial bodies can gain access to government offices and officials. Authorities have already prosecuted Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as director-general of that disowned council. In July, a House of Representatives committee described his purported appointment letter as fake after examining the documents.
The two cases, however, should not be treated as the same matter. The ICPC included Nwabueze’s office among structures it encountered while investigating the PFIPC, but Nwabueze has presented documents that he says prove his office had OSGF backing. The available reports do not establish, by themselves, whether the appointment letter settles the dispute over presidential authorisation or the precise legal status of the project office.
Nwabueze has also pointed to activities involving state governments as evidence that the Made in Nigeria initiative operated openly. A report shared by the organisation featured Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule discussing the state’s adoption of the initiative and its inclusion in the state’s 2026 budget. Such claims could become relevant as authorities examine how the office secured recognition and interacted with government institutions outside the OSGF.
The dispute now leaves the OSGF and investigative authorities with important questions to answer, including the status of the appointment letter, the authority under which the project office operated and whether the office received all required government approvals. Nwabueze’s documents provide his defence, but the ICPC’s allegations remain under investigation. Any further clarification from the OSGF, the ICPC or other government bodies could determine whether the documents resolve the controversy or deepen it.
