President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The affected permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Friday after briefing the President for the second time in two days on the commission’s investigation into fictitious government agencies.
Aliyu said the newly uncovered entity, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, had allegedly been allocated office space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and contrary to extant laws.
“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
According to the ICPC chairman, the discovery was made during the commission’s broader investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and alleged procedural weaknesses within the public service.
He said Nwabueze was found to be operating under several variations of his name, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
Aliyu said the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain vital information concerning the fake office and had briefed the President on the latest findings.
“ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.
He added that Tinubu, following the latest briefing, directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and suspension of the three permanent secretaries allegedly linked to the development.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is the latest in a series of fictitious agencies uncovered by the ICPC since the exposure of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council scandal.
The fictitious council’s self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution over alleged forgery and impersonation.
An ICPC interim report submitted to President Tinubu on August 6 after a 30-day investigation had earlier identified two other fictitious bodies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The latest discovery brings the number of fake agencies uncovered in connection with the ongoing investigation to four.
