The discovery of another alleged fake government agency operating from within the federal government structure has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s oversight, accountability and bureaucratic controls.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) recently uncovered the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which it said was operating from premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) without presidential authorisation.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, said the organisation was promoted by George Buchi Nwabueze and allegedly operated with the involvement of officials within the OSGF. Following the briefing, President Bola Tinubu ordered Nwabueze’s arrest and suspended three permanent secretaries, M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwah, pending investigation.
The discovery came during the ICPC’s investigation into the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the Presidency has described as fictitious. The Presidency said in June that the organisation did not exist under the Tinubu administration and that no appointment had been made for its purported director-general, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
The ICPC later reported that PFIPC was never created by law, executive order or any valid government instrument, while the appointment documents used by Adeyemi were allegedly forged. The organisation had also appeared in the 2026 budget with an allocation of about ₦1.3 billion, raising further questions about weaknesses in government verification and budgetary controls.
Governance experts say the issue goes beyond the individuals involved.
Professor Murtala Muhammad, Vice-President of the Nigerian Political Science Association, described the situation as a governance and institutional failure, arguing that weak verification, poor coordination and inadequate accountability allow private actors to exploit the authority of the state.
He said the PFIPC case exposed weaknesses in bureaucratic and fiscal controls, warning that the response should include stronger verification of government agencies and appointments, improved information sharing and tighter budgetary processes.
Y.Z. Ya’u, Executive Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, said Nigerians should not be surprised by the development, describing it as a reflection of deeper weaknesses in the system.
“Soon, if we are not careful, we have fake state with fake Governor and State Assembly getting allocation from the federation account,” Ya’u warned.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has also called for a wider investigation after reports that the alleged Made-in-Nigeria office had coordinators in about 20 states and representatives in the United States and China.
However, Nwabueze has rejected the allegation that he operated a fake government agency. His management said the Made-in-Nigeria project was an approved public-private initiative based on Executive Orders 003 of 2017 and 005 of 2018, insisting that it never presented itself as a statutory civil service agency. Nwabueze has also produced an appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF as evidence of official backing.
The ICPC investigation is ongoing, with attention now focused on how the organisation allegedly obtained office space within the OSGF and whether public officials were involved.
The developments have intensified calls for tighter controls to ensure that organisations cannot acquire the appearance of government authority without proper legal approval.
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