President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze following the discovery of another alleged fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The President also directed the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries — M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah — over their alleged links to the discovery.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed the development to State House correspondents on Friday after briefing President Tinubu on the commission’s findings.
According to Aliyu, the agency, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, had been allocated office space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation and in violation of existing public service regulations.
He said the discovery was made during the ICPC’s broader investigation into the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFICP) and other procedural weaknesses within the public service.
“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.
The ICPC chairman said investigators identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the office and discovered that he allegedly 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 added that the commission had engaged officials of the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the disputed office and had subsequently briefed President Tinubu on its findings.
Following the briefing, the President ordered Nwabueze’s immediate arrest and the suspension of Danjuma, Gagare and Pheelangwah pending further investigation.
“ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly. 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, Engineer Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” Aliyu said.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is the latest in a series of allegedly unlawful agencies uncovered by the ICPC following the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The PFICP scandal came to light earlier this year, with its self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, subsequently becoming the subject of an investigation.
