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 office.
Multiple officials in the OSGF told Saturday PUNCH that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was allegedly misled into believing that the project office was a fake government agency. According to the officials, a disagreement between Nwabueze and some directors in the SGF office led the directors to petition the ICPC. They allegedly accused him of operating an unauthorised agency.
One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter, insisted that the office was not a fake agency.
“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 dispute between Nwabueze and the directors prompted the petition that eventually brought the project office under the ICPC’s investigation.
“There was a disagreement between him (Nwabueze) and some directors over some issues, which prompted the directors to petition the ICPC, alleging that someone was running a fake office,” the official said.
He further alleged that the commission failed to carry out enough checks before reaching its conclusion.
“Instead of the ICPC doing due diligence, they saw it as an opportunity to declare that they had discovered another fake agency. That is far from it. It is a project office, not an agency. It can wind down anytime.”
Officials question ICPC’s claim
Another official also questioned how the project office could be classified as an agency when it had operated from the SGF office for years.
“How does a project office become an agency, and why has it been operating since 2010 in that office?” the official asked.
He alleged that some officials in the SGF office had personal grievances against Nwabueze.
“ICPC didn’t discover anything; they were misinformed by some people at the SGF office who have scores to settle with the promoter of that office.”
Meanwhile, the ICPC has remained largely silent since announcing that President Bola Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest. Saturday PUNCH learnt that no arrest had been made eight days after the reported presidential directive. A highly placed source within the commission confirmed that Nwabueze was not in custody.
“That’s all I can tell you,” the source said.
Nwabueze alleges sabotage
Nwabueze has also rejected the description of his organisation as an unauthorised government agency. In a statement issued through the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Strategic Communications, he alleged that some serving and retired OSGF officials had frustrated the project.
He accused them of administrative sabotage and suppressing official files linked to the initiative. According to Nwabueze, the project is an approved public-private special initiative operating under the OSGF. He said he petitioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on May 15, 2026. The petition concerned the alleged withholding of strategic project files.
Nwabueze listed a file relating to Nigeria’s advance delegation to the Asia-Africa Summit 2026 among the documents in question. He also mentioned files linked to sub-national energy programmes. He disclosed that he had filed Suit No. CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The suit, he said, challenged alleged attempts to evict the project from the OSGF and suppress its official files.
Nwabueze maintained that the legal action sought to stop any attempt to remove the project from the OSGF without following due administrative procedures.
“The entire subject matter remains subjudice before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
He further said the project was anchored on Executive Orders 003 and 005 of 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Project cites OSGF correspondence
Nwabueze also cited an official correspondence from the Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF. The document, referenced PS-PEAO/2025/008/4, allegedly supports the project’s institutional status. According to Nwabueze, the correspondence approved a five-member technical committee for the project.
The committee was expected to oversee the project’s development goals, monitoring framework and public-private implementation structures.
However, efforts by Saturday PUNCH to obtain the ICPC’s response were unsuccessful. Calls to the commission’s spokesman, John Odeh, went unanswered. A message sent to him had also not received a response at the time of filing the report. Similarly, the SGF’s spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, declined to comment without a formal request.
“If you want to get my reaction on the allegations, write to us,” he said.
ICPC announces fake agency discovery
The controversy followed an August 21 statement by the ICPC. The commission said it had uncovered another fake federal agency operating within the OSGF. ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, made the disclosure after briefing President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa. Aliyu said the President ordered Nwabueze’s arrest. He also said Tinubu directed the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries in the SGF office.
The affected officials were MS Danjuma, Nandungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwa. According to Aliyu, the discovery emerged from an investigation into the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The council was allegedly promoted by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
Presidency awaits ICPC report
The Presidency said on Friday that the ICPC had yet to conclude its investigation into the alleged operation of fictitious government agencies within the SGF office. It urged Nigerians to wait for the commission’s final recommendations before reaching conclusions on who should be held responsible.
The Presidency said Tinubu expected the ICPC to complete the investigation and submit its recommendations. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, stated this while speaking with Saturday PUNCH.
Ajayi said the commission had submitted a preliminary report but was still investigating the matter.
“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.”
He added that Tinubu had asked the commission to recommend ways to strengthen the system and address weaknesses identified during the investigation.
“The ICPC has said they have identified weaknesses in the system, so let’s wait for them to do their job.”
Reps will not interfere in probe
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is unlikely to launch a separate investigation into the activities of Nwabueze’s project office. Deputy spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, said the Green Chamber would not interfere with an ongoing ICPC investigation. According to him, the matter is not currently before the House.
“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 added that the House was instead focused on the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council matter. He said the ad hoc committee set up by the House leadership was already close to completing its assignment.
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