The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), prompting President Bola Tinubu to order the immediate arrest of its alleged promoter and the suspension of three permanent secretaries.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Friday after briefing President Tinubu for the second consecutive day on investigations into fake government agencies and procedural weaknesses within the public service.
Aliyu said the newly uncovered office, operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, had been allocated office space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and contrary to extant laws.
The alleged promoter of the fake office was identified as Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, who, according to the ICPC, operated under several variations of his name, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
The ICPC also identified suspected collaborators within the OSGF who allegedly facilitated the operation of the fake office.
Aliyu said the discovery was made during the commission’s broader investigation ordered by President Tinubu following the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIFC).
Following the latest briefing, President Tinubu directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries — M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
Aliyu said the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain vital information concerning the fake office and would continue its investigation into the circumstances surrounding its establishment and operation.
The latest development is part of a wider scandal that began with the exposure of the fictitious PFIFC, whose self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution over alleged forgery and impersonation.
An ICPC interim report submitted to the President on August 6, after a 30-day investigation, had earlier identified two other fictitious bodies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is the fourth fake agency uncovered by the ICPC since the PFIFC scandal emerged in early April.
