9-Year Deception Unmasked! Fake Agency Operating Inside Federal Office Claims Buhari Approval as Tinubu Orders Arrests

A major scandal has rocked the federal bureaucracy following the exposure of a fictitious government body, the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which operated illegally from within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission revealed that the bogus agency built an elaborate nationwide footprint despite lacking any official presidential backing or legislative mandate. To legitimize its operations, the outfit’s website and promotional materials claimed it was backed by a 2017 Federal Executive Council approval granted during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, complete with a pseudo-mandate to oversee industrialization and anti-counterfeiting campaigns.

Under the leadership of its alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze—who operated using several aliases—the fraudulent body created a widespread administrative structure including zonal directors, state coordinators across all 36 states, and foreign reps in China and the United States. The entity successfully duped several state government officials and private sector players into high-level partnerships and trade expositions before ICPC operatives blew the whistle.

Reacting swiftly to the anti-graft agency’s report, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered law enforcement officers to immediately arrest Nwabueze and directed the indefinite suspension of three federal Permanent Secretaries over their alleged roles in granting office space and facilitating the unauthorized operation. The administration has also mandated a comprehensive audit of civil service administrative processes to prevent similar breaches in the future.