The Anambra State Government was drawn into plans to host a Made-in-Nigeria Fair after it received official correspondence from a purported federal agency that claimed to operate under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

The organisation was later discovered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to be fake.

The development has raised questions about how the purported agency gained the confidence of state officials and proceeded with engagements that resulted in preparations for a major trade fair in Anambra.

The state’s Secretary to the Government, Mrs Chiamaka Nnake, said the government had acted in good faith, having been approached through what appeared to be official channels.

Nnake was nominated as Anambra’s focal person for the purported agency after the state government received a letter in January 2026.

According to her, the letter was sent to Governor Chukwuma Soludo by the purported Made-in-Nigeria Office, which claimed to be domiciled in the Office of the SGF.

The office requested that each state nominate a focal person to coordinate its activities at the state level.

“Following the nominations, focal persons from the 36 states have been in a WhatsApp group engaging on issues relating to the activities of the office,” Nnake said.

The arrangement continued until the purported office subsequently approached the Anambra State Government with a request for the state to host the South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair.

The request was approved by the state government, leading to preparations for the event.

Nnake said an inaugural meeting was held about two weeks ago, with the person presented as the National Coordinator of the organisation in attendance.

“Since then, the State Committee has been working on preparations for the Fair, which is scheduled to take place from December 2 to 5, 2026,” she said.

However, the ICPC’s discovery that the organisation was not a genuine federal agency brought the arrangement into question.

Nnake said the organisation had misled the state government into preparing to host the event.

In a statement titled, **“Clarification on the ‘Made-in-Nigeria Agency’ and My Role as State Focal Person,”** the SSG sought to explain the circumstances surrounding her involvement and distance herself from any activities outside the official engagements initiated through the state government.

She said her role was limited to the communications and meetings conducted through the state government following the purported agency’s request.

“Beyond these official interactions and engagements, I have no knowledge of, involvement in, or connection with any other activities, claims or developments attributed to the said office,” she said.

Nnake further stated that anything beyond the official interactions was outside her knowledge and involvement.

“I therefore wish to make it clear that anything beyond the above-mentioned official interactions is entirely outside my knowledge and involvement,” she added.

The episode shows how the purported agency was able to present itself as a federal government body, establish contact with state officials and secure participation from states before its identity was questioned.

For Anambra, the engagement had progressed to the point where a state committee had begun preparations for the December fair before the ICPC’s intervention exposed the organisation as fake.

The development has also highlighted the need for government institutions to independently verify purported federal agencies and official correspondence before committing to programmes or events presented as federal government initiatives.