‘Fake Agency’ Row: Nwabueze Defends Made-in-Nigeria Office With Appointment Letter

The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, George Nwabueze, has rejected allegations that he is operating a fake Federal Government agency, insisting that his office is a project office under the supervision of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

Nwabueze made the clarification following allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that the office was among outfits uncovered during investigations into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

The ICPC had alleged that Nwabueze was running and promoting the outfit in collaboration with some senior public servants in the OSGF, and that the office had been allocated space within the OSGF complex without presidential authorisation.

However, speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Nwabueze maintained that the Made in Nigeria Special Project Office was not a fake agency, arguing that the initiative had been operating within the OSGF for about 16 years.

“Made in Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from,” he said, questioning how an initiative he claimed had been in the SGF’s office since July 16, 2010, could only have come to official attention in 2026.

Nwabueze produces appointment letter

To support his claim, Nwabueze shared an appointment letter dated October 3, 2025, purportedly issued by the OSGF.

The document, referenced OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare.

The letter conveyed approval of Nwabueze’s appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF for an initial five-year tenure beginning from July 2025, subject to renewal.

The stated responsibilities of the office included supervising and developing programmes, projects and policies; coordinating regional and state coordinators across the 36 states; and organising exhibitions, trade expos and economic summits to promote Nigerian products and services.

The appointment letter also indicated that the project office was to operate temporarily from Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex.

More documents emerge

Nwabueze has since released additional documents in an effort to establish the history of the initiative.

Among them is a July 19, 2010 letter purportedly issued by the OSGF and addressed to Nwabueze, then identified as “Buchi George,” concerning the endorsement of a “Made in Naija” project proposed for Ireland as part of Nigeria’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

The document acknowledged receipt of his proposal and advised that it be forwarded to the Nigerian High Commission in Ireland for consideration. However, PUNCH said it could not independently verify the authenticity of the document.

Another document shared by Nwabueze showed that the office had, in April 2025, sought special-project status from the OSGF.

The proposal argued that the initiative had promoted Nigerian-made products and services locally and internationally, while contributing to employment creation, economic growth, poverty reduction and the development of local industries.

It also identified the promotion of local production and reduction of import dependence as part of the initiative’s objectives.

ICPC maintains its position

The controversy followed the ICPC’s investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, said investigators discovered the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office while examining the alleged council and what he described as weaknesses in public-service procedures.

According to the commission, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation, with Nwabueze identified as its promoter. The ICPC subsequently said President Bola Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest.

Nwabueze’s documents, however, have raised questions over the commission’s description of the office as entirely unauthorised, particularly the appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF in 2025.

An OSGF staff member also told Sunday PUNCH that the office had been shut for months, adding that it was not operating as an agency and was under investigation.

The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, reportedly requested a formal letter before responding to enquiries, while efforts to reach the ICPC spokesman were unsuccessful at the time of filing.

The conflicting claims have left the legal and administrative status of the Made in Nigeria Special Project Office under scrutiny, with Nwabueze insisting that the initiative has official roots within the OSGF, while the ICPC maintains that the outfit was operating without the required presidential authorisation.