George Nwabueze, accused by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of promoting a fake federal agency, has defended the status of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.

He posted documents he said showed that the initiative was linked to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

Nwabueze, who describes himself as the National Coordinator and Executive Director of the project office, has continued to reject the ICPC’s allegation that the organisation was operating without government authorisation.

The documents shared by Nwabueze on LinkedIn include a purported appointment letter dated October 3, 2025, from the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF, as well as an earlier letter dated July 19, 2010, which he presented as evidence that the Made-in-Nigeria initiative had existed for years.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the authenticity of the documents.

The development comes days after the ICPC said President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate arrest of Nwabueze, whom the commission identified as the promoter of the alleged fake office.

The president also ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries: M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah, following the discovery of the office, according to the ICPC.

The Commission said the organisation had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and alleged that some senior public servants had collaborated with its activities.

Nwabueze’s appointment letter

In one of the documents posted by Nwabueze and reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, on the letterhead of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, conveyed what it described as the approval of his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office.

The letter, dated October 3, 2025, is referenced OSGF/MIN/59310/II/205 and addressed to “George Buchi Nwabueze, National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.”

It states that his appointment was for five years, beginning from July 2025, and was renewable.

The document says the appointment followed an assessment of Nwabueze’s “commitment, contribution, and capacity” to deliver the mandate of the Special Project Office.

It also lists his responsibilities as supervising programmes, projects, and policies; overseeing regional and state coordinators across the 36 states; and organising exhibitions, trade expos, economic summits, and other initiatives to promote indigenous products and services.

A second page of the document states that the project was to use temporary office space in Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex “for the time being” to facilitate effective coordination.

It further states that the appointment was at the pleasure of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and aligned with the objectives of the Made-in-Nigeria initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The letter bears the name and signature of Nadungu Gagare, identified as the Permanent Secretary of the Political and Economic Affairs Office.

The appointment letter is significant because the ICPC’s allegation centres partly on whether the project office had official authorisation to operate within the OSGF.

However, PREMIUM TIMES has not independently established the authenticity of the document.

Nwabueze traces the project to 2010

In another document shared on Sunday, Nwabueze sought to trace the initiative back to 2010.

The letter, dated July 19, 2010, is addressed to “Buchi George”, then described as Executive Director of The Hats Centre in Owerri, Imo State.

It acknowledges receipt of a proposal dated July 16, 2010, seeking endorsement for a “Made in Naija” project planned to take place in Ireland as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 50th anniversary.

The letter, referenced NIG@ 50/S.7/C,3/45, states that the proposal should be forwarded to the Nigerian High Commission in Ireland for possible consideration.

Nwabueze relied on the document to argue that the Made-in-Nigeria initiative predates the current controversy by more than a decade.

“History and facts, from Made in Naija since 15th June 2010 to the Made in Nigeria project office,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post accompanying the document.

He questioned how a programme he claimed had existed for 16 years could suddenly be described as a fictitious government body.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently confirm the authenticity or present status of the 2010 letter.

Nwabueze had also earlier posted another document dated April 17, 2025, proposing to grant the Made-in-Nigeria initiative the status of a special project.

The document was signed by Gagare and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It said the initiative had been promoting Nigerian products and services locally and internationally and had organised economic forums and trade exhibitions.

It also listed potential benefits of granting the project special status, including job creation, economic growth, poverty reduction, increased domestic production, and reduced dependence on imported goods.

However, the document revealed that the project’s activities would undergo review, along with an examination of its operational modalities, to ensure clarity and effectiveness.

That detail leaves an important question over the precise administrative status of the initiative at the time Nwabueze was appointed.

Government engagements under scrutiny

Nwabueze’s defence comes against the backdrop of records showing that the organisation had established contacts with government institutions before the ICPC’s disclosure.

As PREMIUM TIMES previously reported, government records showed engagements involving the project in Abia and Anambra.

The organisation had also presented itself on its website as a strategic initiative of the OSGF, with a national coordinator, zonal directors, state coordinators and representatives in the United States and China.

Its website described the project as responsible for promoting Nigerian products, supporting small and medium enterprises, attracting investment, and organising trade fairs and economic forums.

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The website also identified Nwabueze as its National Coordinator and Executive Director.

Those claims became significant after the ICPC said the office was operating without presidential authorisation.

The controversy, therefore, goes beyond whether Nwabueze was appointed to a position bearing the name of a Made-in-Nigeria project.

It raises questions about the legal and administrative status of the office, who authorised its activities, how it secured space within the OSGF premises and the extent to which public officials interacted with it.

Lingering Concerns

Nwabueze’s documents provide his account of the organisation’s history and his relationship with the OSGF, but they have not settled the dispute over its status.

The ICPC has maintained that the office was one of the fictitious government structures uncovered during its investigation into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

The commission said Nwabueze was the promoter of the organisation and alleged that it operated with the backing of some public servants.

Nwabueze, however, has rejected the description and insists that the organisation is a project office under the OSGF.

The conflicting accounts now place greater importance on the outcome of the ICPC investigation.

A former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has stated that a framework is being established to ensure that the opposition presents a single candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 elections.
He emphasized that opposition parties need to recognize that their battle is not with one another but with the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

In an interview with Arise News, Lukman, who previously held a prominent position within the APC, said a proposal had been put forward for the consideration of opposition leaders.

He added that the objective was to create a structure that would allow them to function as a cohesive unit, enabling them to present a united front to the Nigerian electorate by the time of the 2027 elections.

He said, “The ultimate objective is that we want to have one candidate, but it cannot be by declaration. They have to sit down and agree on the criteria they are going to apply in determining that candidate. They will agree among themselves.

“Nobody will dictate it to them, which is why, if you put the question to the supporters of each of the candidates, again, you are not being fair to the candidates, because, at the end of the day, it is the quality of the relationship.
“We have posed the question to them, and, for emphasis, let me remind you of the question we have posed to them. At the end of the day, there will only be one president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The question they need to answer themselves is: Do they just want to be candidates, or do they want to win the election to become president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

“I mean, answering that question will require that they also agree that there are certain conditions they must meet to be able to win the election. That is the point we are now trying to push them to understand, and all of them understand it.

“They have to work together, and the primary opponent is the APC and President Bola Tinubu. So, when you now begin to pose the question as if the primary opponent is either former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or former Governor Peter Obi, you get it wrong.
“As far as we are concerned, we are putting forward a structure, and we are putting a proposal to them to consider, which will lead to the formation of that structure that will enable them to work as a united body, on the basis of which, by the 2027 election, they will present Nigerians with a united front.

“Look, the bottom line, and let me say it for emphasis, is that we believe Nigerians deserve better.

“We believe that the 2027 election should present a credible option for Nigeria in such a way that Nigerians can have confidence to queue behind that candidate, vote for that candidate, and vote out the APC and President Bola Tinubu. I think there is no debate about that.”