An internal dispute between the promoter of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Nwabueze, and some directors in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation may have triggered the controversy that led the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to describe the office as a fake federal agency.
Multiple officials in the SGF office claimed that the ICPC was misled into believing that the project office was an illegal government agency following a disagreement between Nwabueze and some directors.
According to the officials, the dispute led the directors to petition the anti-corruption commission, alleging that Nwabueze was operating a fake agency.
One official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to discuss the matter, insisted that the organisation was a project office and not a government agency.
“It is not a fake agency. It is a project office. The ICPC was misled into believing it is a fake agency by some directors.
“There was a disagreement between him (Nwabueze) and some directors over some issues, which prompted the directors to petition the ICPC, alleging that someone was running a fake office.
“Instead of the ICPC doing due diligence, they saw it as an opportunity to declare that they had discovered another fake agency. That is far from it. It is a project office, not an agency. It can wind down anytime.”
Another official questioned why the office was being described as an agency despite allegedly operating within the SGF office since 2010.
“How does a project office become an agency, and why has it been operating since 2010 in that office? ICPC didn’t discover anything; they were misinformed by some people at the SGF office who have scores to settle with the promoter of that office.”
The controversy follows an August 21 announcement by the ICPC that it had uncovered what it described as another fake federal agency allegedly operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, said after briefing President Bola Tinubu that the President had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest and the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries in the SGF office in connection with the alleged fake agency.
The affected officials were identified as MS Danjuma, Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa.
However, eight days after the President was said to have approved Nwabueze’s arrest, a highly placed ICPC source said the promoter had not been taken into custody.
“That’s all I can tell you,” the source said.
Nwabueze Alleges Sabotage
Nwabueze has also rejected claims that the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is an unauthorised government agency.
In a statement issued on his behalf by the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Strategic Communications, he alleged that serving and retired officials in the SGF office had frustrated the project through administrative sabotage and the suppression of official files.
According to Nwabueze, the initiative is an approved public-private special project operating under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
He said he petitioned the SGF on May 15, 2026, over the alleged withholding of strategic project files, including documents relating to Nigeria’s advance delegation to the Asia-Africa Summit 2026 and sub-national energy programmes.
Nwabueze also disclosed that he had filed Suit No. CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja over what he described as threats of administrative eviction and file suppression.
He maintained that the legal action was aimed at preventing attempts to remove the project from the SGF office without due administrative process.
“The entire subject matter remains subjudice before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
Nwabueze further argued that the project was anchored on Executive Orders 003 and 005 of 2017 and 2018, respectively.
He also cited an official supervisory correspondence, referenced PS-PEAO/2025/008/4, from the Political and Economic Affairs Office of the SGF, which he said supported the project’s institutional standing.
According to him, the correspondence approved a five-member technical committee to oversee the project’s development objectives, monitoring framework and public-private implementation structures.
Presidency Awaits ICPC Report
The Presidency said on Friday that the ICPC had yet to conclude its investigation into how alleged fictitious government agencies operated undetected within the SGF office.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said Nigerians should await the commission’s final recommendations before drawing conclusions about those responsible.
Ajayi said President Tinubu expected the ICPC to complete its investigation and submit recommendations on how to address weaknesses identified within the system.
“The ICPC has not finished their work. At the end of their investigation, they are supposed to make recommendations to the President and he is expecting them to. They have submitted their preliminary report; they are continuing with their work, and the President has asked them to make recommendations on how to strengthen the system where weaknesses have been spotted. The ICPC has said they have identified weaknesses in the system, so let’s wait for them to do their job.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives said it was unlikely to launch a separate investigation into Nwabueze’s project office while the ICPC probe was ongoing.
The deputy spokesman for the House, Philip Agbese, said the Green Chamber would not interfere with an investigation already being handled by the commission.
“The matter is not before the House. If the ICPC is already investigating it, I think Nigerians should allow the commission to do its work. What we have in the House is the PFIPC issue and of course, everyone knows that the Ad-hoc Committee set up by the leadership of the House to look into the allegations is about to conclude its assignment,” he said.
Efforts to obtain a response from the ICPC on the latest allegations were unsuccessful.
Calls to the commission’s spokesman, John Odeh, were not answered, while a message sent to him had not received a response as of the time of filing.
The spokesman for the SGF, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, also declined to comment without a formal request.
“If you want to get my reaction on the allegations, write to us,” he said.
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