The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Nwabueze, has rejected allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that he is operating a fake federal agency.

Nwabueze said the office is a project office under the supervision of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and has existed for 16 years.

The ICPC had on Friday alleged that Nwabueze was running and promoting the outfit without proper government authorisation and said President Bola Tinubu had ordered his arrest.

The commission also alleged that the office was being operated with the support of some senior public servants in the OSGF.

However, Nwabueze, who spoke with *Sunday PUNCH* on Saturday, disputed the allegations and produced an appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF.

“Made in Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from. A programme that has been in the SGF’s office since 16 July 2010 was just discovered yesterday (Friday). After 16 years; Nigeria is a funny country,” he said.

The appointment letter, dated October 3, 2025, was purportedly issued by the OSGF and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare.

Referenced OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205, the letter was addressed to “Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.”

It conveyed the approval of Nwabueze’s appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF.

According to the letter, the appointment was for a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025 and was renewable.

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

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

The letter also stated that the project office was to operate temporarily from Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex.

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

Nwabueze shared the appointment letter on his LinkedIn page in response to the ICPC’s claim that the organisation lacked official government backing.

He declined to respond to further questions from *Sunday PUNCH* on the matter.

Another document shared by Nwabueze showed that the office had sought to be granted Special Project status.

The document, dated April 17, 2025, was signed by Gagare and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Titled, “A proposal for the Made-in-Nigeria Project to be granted Special Project status,” the document stated that the initiative had been operating for about five years and had promoted Nigerian-made products and services within and outside the country.

It said the project had organised economic forums and trade exhibitions in different parts of the world and contributed to the Nigerian economy, particularly through efforts to attract foreign direct investment.

The proposal identified increased employment, economic growth and poverty reduction among the expected benefits of granting the initiative special status.

It also said the project would support local industries, encourage domestic production and contribute to GDP growth.

The document further stated that promoting locally made products would reduce importation, conserve foreign exchange and improve Nigeria’s trade balance.

It linked the initiative to the Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the economy, reduce dependence on crude oil and strengthen the non-oil sector.

However, the proposal stated that the activities of the project would be reviewed and its operational modalities developed.

The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, had identified the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office as one of the outfits uncovered during the commission’s investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

Aliyu said investigators discovered the office while probing the PFIPC and what he described as weaknesses in public service procedures.

According to him, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation.

He identified Prince George Buchi Nwabueze as the promoter of the outfit and alleged that he operated under different variations of his name with the backing of some senior public servants in the OSGF.

The ICPC chairman said the outfit formed part of structures uncovered during the investigation into the alleged PFIPC.

Nwabueze’s documents, however, appear to challenge the claim that the project office had no official backing from the Federal Government.

A report published on the organisation’s LinkedIn page also documented a stakeholders’ engagement in Nasarawa State involving Governor Abdullahi Sule.

Sule was quoted as saying that the state had domesticated the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and included it in its 2026 budget.

“For us in Nasarawa State, we have since domesticated this initiative of the Federal Government in our solemn commitment to promote local contents and have value for resources abound in our dear state,” Sule was quoted as saying.

He added that the state had not only adopted the project but had also given its implementation special attention by including it in the 2026 budget.

The report also quoted Nwabueze as saying that the initiative was domiciled in the OSGF and was responsible for promoting the national brand.

He further said plans were underway to establish a National Brand Processing and Packaging Centre in Nasarawa State.

The organisation’s website identifies “Nwabueze George” as its Executive Director and National Coordinator and lists national, zonal and state coordinators.

It also lists Dr Bassey B. Unaowo as Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary on Political and Economic Affairs in the OSGF and Dr Hajara Njidda Amoni as Director, National Administration.

Despite the documents produced by Nwabueze, an OSGF staff member told *Sunday PUNCH* that the office had been shut for months.

“It was not operating as an agency but I know it was under investigation. The office was shut months ago,” the source said.

The conflicting claims have raised questions over the status of the project office, particularly whether it was formally authorised to operate within the OSGF and under what administrative framework.

While the ICPC maintains that the office was allocated space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation, Nwabueze has produced an appointment letter purportedly issued by the OSGF appointing him to head the project office.

The OSGF spokesman, Christopher Ugwuegbulam, asked *Sunday PUNCH* to submit a formal letter of enquiry before a response could be obtained.

Attempts to reach the ICPC spokesman, John Odey, were unsuccessful as calls to his telephone number were not reachable as of the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, police sources said the force had not been formally briefed about the case.

The sources said a manhunt for Nwabueze would only begin after the police receive an official briefing on the matter.