By Ghazali Ibrahim
The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office, George Nwabueze, has challenged the allegation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that he heads a fake Federal Government agency.
Nwabueze said the Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office had operated under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for years, insisting that it was not an illegal organisation.
His response followed the ICPC’s announcement that President Bola Tinubu had ordered his arrest over the alleged promotion and operation of what the commission described as a fictitious federal agency.
Speaking to PUNCH, Nwabueze said the project office had been domiciled in the OSGF since July 16, 2010.
“Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from,” he said.
He questioned why the existence of the programme was being challenged after several years, describing the development as surprising.
To support his claim, Nwabueze published on LinkedIn an appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF.
The letter, dated October 3, 2025, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare, conveyed the approval of his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office.
According to the document, Nwabueze’s appointment was for a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025, subject to renewal.
The letter stated that his responsibilities included supervising programmes and policies, coordinating officials across the 36 states and organising exhibitions, trade fairs, economic summits and other activities designed to promote Nigerian-made products and services.
It also stated that the project office would temporarily operate from a designated room within the OSGF complex.
Another document shared by Nwabueze showed that the project had sought formal recognition as a Special Project.
The proposal, dated April 17, 2025, was also signed by Gagare and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The document said the initiative had promoted Nigerian products and services locally and internationally, while organising trade exhibitions and economic forums.
It argued that granting the project Special Project status would boost employment, economic growth and local production while reducing dependence on imported goods.
The proposal further linked the initiative to the Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the economy and strengthen the non-oil sector.
However, the ICPC has maintained that the organisation was among the structures uncovered during its investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, said investigators discovered that the organisation had been allocated office space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation.
He identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the outfit and alleged that he operated under different variations of his name with the support of some senior public servants in the OSGF.
The commission said the discovery formed part of a broader investigation into weaknesses in the public service and the alleged PFIPC.
Documents released by Nwabueze, however, appear to contradict the claim that the project had no official backing.
A report published by the organisation also documented a stakeholders’ engagement in Nasarawa State involving Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Sule was quoted as saying that Nasarawa had domesticated the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and included it in the state’s 2026 budget.
The organisation’s website also identifies Nwabueze as its Executive Director and National Coordinator and lists national, zonal and state coordinators.
Meanwhile, an official of the OSGF told PUNCH that the office had been shut for months.
“It was not operating as an agency but I know was under investigation. The office was shut months ago,” the source said.
The conflicting claims have raised questions about the legal and administrative status of the project, particularly whether it was properly authorised as an OSGF project and under what circumstances it operated within the government complex.
The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, requested a formal letter before providing a response.
The ICPC spokesman, John Odey, could not be reached for comment as calls to his telephone were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, police sources said the force had yet to receive an official briefing on the matter, adding that a manhunt for Nwabueze would only commence after a formal briefing.
