President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another alleged 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.
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 consecutive day.
Aliyu said the commission uncovered the alleged fake National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office in the course of its ongoing investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses within the public service.
According to him, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and in violation of existing regulations.
“Upon further briefing by ICPC to Mr President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered another fake agency and office operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which has been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Aliyu said.
He identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the organisation and alleged that he had the support of suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
“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,” he said.
The ICPC chairman also alleged that Nwabueze operated 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 relevant information concerning the office and had briefed Tinubu on its findings.
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.
Following the briefing, Aliyu said, the President directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries.
“Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries: M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” he said.
Fourth alleged fake agency
Friday’s development is the latest in an investigation that began with the exposure of the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The council’s self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution over allegations of forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to Tinubu on August 6, following a 30-day investigation, had also identified two other alleged fictitious bodies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is therefore the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered by the commission since the PFIPC scandal emerged in early April.
