By Opeyemi Adelakun
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 surrounding the project.
Multiple officials in the OSGF alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was misled into believing that the project office was a fake government agency following a disagreement between Nwabueze and some directors.
According to one of the officials, the dispute prompted the directors to petition the ICPC, alleging that Nwabueze was operating an unauthorised government office.
“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,” the official said.
The source explained that the office was established as a project office rather than a government agency and could be wound down whenever its mandate was completed.
Another official questioned how the project office could be described as fake when it had allegedly operated within the OSGF since 2010.
The official said the ICPC should have conducted further checks before reaching its conclusion.
Meanwhile, Nwabueze has rejected the allegation that the organisation is an unauthorised government agency, claiming that the initiative is an approved public-private special project operating under the supervision of the OSGF.
In a statement issued through the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Strategic Communications, Nwabueze alleged that some serving and retired officials of the OSGF had engaged in administrative sabotage and deliberately withheld official files relating to the project.
He said he petitioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on May 15, 2026, over the alleged withholding of important project documents, including files connected to Nigeria’s advance delegation to the Asia-Africa Summit 2026 and sub-national energy programmes.
Nwabueze also disclosed that he had instituted Suit No. CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged attempts to evict the project from the OSGF and suppress its official files.
He maintained that the court action was intended to prevent the project from being removed without following due administrative procedures.
“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 correspondence from the Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF, referenced PS-PEAO/2025/008/4, which he said confirmed the institutional standing of the project.
According to him, the correspondence authorised a five-member technical committee to oversee the project’s objectives, monitoring framework and public-private implementation arrangements.
The controversy followed an August 21 announcement by the ICPC that it had uncovered what it described as another fake federal agency operating within the OSGF.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, had disclosed the development after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Aliyu said the President ordered the arrest of Nwabueze and the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries in the OSGF over the alleged operation of the fake agency.
The affected officials were identified as MS Danjuma, Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa.
The ICPC chairman said the discovery was made during an investigation into the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council promoted by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
However, eight days after the ICPC announcement, a highly placed source in the commission said Nwabueze had not been arrested and was not in custody.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the ICPC on the latest allegations were unsuccessful.
Calls to the commission’s spokesman, John Odeh, were unanswered, while a message sent to him had not received a response as of the time of filing the report.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the SGF on Media, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, declined to comment on the allegations without a formal request.
“If you want to get my reaction on the allegations, write to us,” he said.
Presidency urges Nigerians to await ICPC report
The Presidency has meanwhile said the ICPC is yet to conclude its investigation into how alleged fictitious government agencies operated within the OSGF.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said President Tinubu expected the commission to complete its investigation and submit its recommendations.
“ 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,” Ajayi said.
He added that the commission had submitted a preliminary report and was continuing with its investigation.
According to Ajayi, the President had also directed the ICPC to recommend measures for strengthening the system and addressing weaknesses identified during the investigation.
He urged Nigerians to allow the commission to complete its work before drawing conclusions.
Reps to allow ICPC investigation
The House of Representatives has also indicated that it is unlikely to launch a separate investigation into the activities of Nwabueze’s project office while the ICPC probe is ongoing.
Deputy spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, said lawmakers would not interfere with an investigation already being handled by the anti-corruption commission.
He said the matter was not currently before the House, adding that lawmakers were instead focused on the separate investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
“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,” Agbese said.
He added that an ad hoc committee constituted by the House leadership to investigate the allegations surrounding the PFIPC was nearing the completion of its assignment.
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