The National Coordinator of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Buchi Nwabueze, has released an appointment letter bearing the letterhead of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) in an attempt to counter allegations that he operated a fake government agency.
Nwabueze published the document after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) accused him of promoting a fictitious agency operating within the OSGF premises.
The appointment letter, dated October 3, 2025, carries reference number OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205 and was purportedly signed by Nadungu Gagare, then Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office.
Titled “Appointment as National Coordinator and Executive Director Made in Nigeria Project Office,” the letter was addressed to Nwabueze as National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.
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According to the document, Nwabueze’s appointment as National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF was approved for a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025, with an option for renewal.
The document also stated that the appointment followed an assessment of Nwabueze’s commitment, contributions and capacity to deliver on the mandate of the special project office.
Nwabueze, responding to the allegations, insisted that the Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office was not a fake agency but a project office operating under the supervision of the OSGF.
He questioned the ICPC’s description of the office as fictitious, arguing that the initiative had been operating for years.
The controversy followed an announcement by ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, that President Bola Tinubu had ordered Nwabueze’s arrest over the alleged operation of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.
Aliyu said the commission discovered that the office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and contrary to extant regulations.
Following the discovery, President Tinubu also ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries — M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah — pending further investigation.
The ICPC said Nwabueze was the promoter of the alleged fake agency and had operated under multiple variations of his name.
However, the release of the purported OSGF appointment letter has introduced a new dimension to the controversy, with questions emerging over the circumstances surrounding the creation of the office, its presence within the OSGF and the role of government officials linked to the project.
The authenticity and legal status of the appointment letter and the project office are expected to form part of the ongoing investigation.
