Nwabueze insists project has existed for 16 years as ICPC probe puts agency’s status under fresh scrutiny
ABUJA — The controversy surrounding the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office has taken a dramatic turn, with its National Coordinator and Executive Director, George Buchi Nwabueze, strongly defending the organisation following allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that it was operating as a fake federal agency.
The controversy erupted after the ICPC announced that it had uncovered what it described as a purported fake government agency operating under the name National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office.
The commission said its investigation raised questions about the organisation’s activities and alleged links with officials within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). It further said President Bola Tinubu had ordered the arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries in connection with the matter.
But Nwabueze has rejected the allegation, insisting that the project was not a recent creation and claiming that it has existed for about 16 years.
In his response, Nwabueze questioned why an organisation which, according to him, had been in existence since 2010 would suddenly be described as fake in 2026. He reportedly cited documents which he said demonstrated the project’s long-standing history and its interactions with government institutions.
One of the documents circulated in his defence was a July 19, 2010 letter purportedly issued from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and addressed to a “Buchi George” of The Hats Centre in Owerri, Imo State. However, questions have subsequently been raised over whether the document actually established the existence of the present National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.
Further attention has also been drawn to an appointment letter dated October 3, 2025, which reportedly conveyed Nwabueze’s appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office for a five-year tenure beginning in July 2025.
The development has consequently triggered wider questions about the legal status of the organisation, the authority under which it operated, its relationship with the Federal Government and how it was able to interact with government officials and state authorities if its status was allegedly questionable.
The controversy has also drawn in the Anambra State Government after the photograph of the state’s Secretary to the Government, Chiamaka Nnake, reportedly appeared among officials associated with the project.
Nnake has since clarified her involvement, explaining that the Anambra State Government received a request from the Made-in-Nigeria Office in January 2026 to nominate a state focal person. According to her account, Governor Chukwuma Soludo subsequently nominated her, after which she participated in engagements relating to the initiative.
She further explained that the organisation later approached Anambra over the proposed hosting of a South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair, which the state approved and scheduled for December 2–5, 2026.
Nnake, however, maintained that her involvement was limited to those official engagements and that she had no knowledge of, or connection with, activities outside the scope of her assignment.
As the controversy continues to generate public interest, attention has increasingly shifted to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, particularly over whether the organisation had received any formal government recognition or authorisation.
The apparent lack of a substantive public response from the SGF’s office has added another layer to the controversy, leaving questions over how the organisation allegedly operated within government circles and engaged public institutions without its status becoming a matter of concern earlier.
The ICPC’s intervention has therefore opened a broader conversation about administrative oversight and the procedures through which organisations claiming government affiliation obtain access to official structures, programmes and public officials.
For now, the two sides present sharply contrasting positions. The ICPC maintains that its investigation uncovered an alleged fake federal agency, while Nwabueze insists that the project is legitimate and has a history dating back 16 years.
With investigations continuing, the central questions remain whether the organisation was lawfully established, the extent of any official government backing it enjoyed, and whether individuals who interacted with it did so in the belief that they were dealing with a legitimate government initiative.
The answers to those questions could determine the next chapter of a controversy that has already attracted considerable public attention and placed fresh scrutiny on Nigeria’s system of government administration.
PIONEER NEWS 