President Bola Tinubu has ordered the arrest of a man accused of promoting a fake government agency and directed the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries over their alleged links to the discovery.
The latest development followed the uncovering of another fictitious office operating within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The agency, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, was allegedly operating without presidential approval and had been given office space within the OSGF.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Friday after briefing Tinubu on the investigation for the second time in two days.
Aliyu said the discovery was made during an ongoing investigation ordered by the President following the earlier exposure of the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
According to him, the newly discovered office was promoted by Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, who allegedly operated under several names.
The names include George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
Aliyu said the promoter had suspected collaborators within the OSGF and that the office was allocated space in the government premises despite not having the required presidential authorisation.
Three permanent secretaries suspended
Following the discovery, Tinubu ordered the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries.
They are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
Aliyu said the President’s directives were based on the findings presented to him by the anti-corruption agency.
“Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries: M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” he said.
The ICPC chairman said the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the fake office and would continue its investigation.
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” Aliyu added.
Fourth fake agency uncovered
The discovery is the latest in a series of investigations into fictitious government agencies and offices.
The scandal began with the exposure of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is facing prosecution over allegations including forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to the President on August 6, following a 30-day investigation, also revealed two other fictitious bodies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is therefore the fourth fake agency uncovered by the ICPC in the course of the investigation.
The latest findings have raised fresh questions about the level of oversight within government offices and how unauthorised entities were able to obtain official space within the OSGF.
The ICPC said its investigation into the latest discovery remains ongoing.
