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Tinubu Orders Arrest of Fake Agency Promoter, Suspends Three Permanent Secretaries
Tinubu Orders Arrest of Fake Agency Promoter, Suspends Three Permanent Secretaries
CORRUPTION
The Nigerian Record
8/20/20262 min read
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze and directed the suspension of three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another alleged fake government agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, announced the development on Friday after briefing President Tinubu on the commission’s ongoing investigation into fictitious government bodies.
The three suspended permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
According to Aliyu, ICPC uncovered an organisation operating as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office. The organisation had allegedly been given office space within the OSGF without presidential approval and in violation of existing laws and administrative procedures.
The ICPC chairman explained that the discovery was made as part of the commission’s broader investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIFC), as well as weaknesses in procedures within the federal public service.
Aliyu identified Nwabueze as the alleged promoter of the newly uncovered office and said investigators had identified suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
He added that Nwabueze was believed to have used several names, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
The commission subsequently engaged officials of the OSGF to obtain information concerning the operation of the organisation and presented its findings to President Tinubu.
Following the briefing, the President ordered Nwabueze’s immediate arrest and directed the suspension of the three permanent secretaries linked to the development.
The latest discovery is connected to the ICPC’s wider investigation into fictitious government institutions. The investigation began with the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is facing prosecution over allegations including forgery and impersonation.
On August 6, the ICPC submitted an interim report to President Tinubu after conducting a 30-day investigation into the matter. The report identified two other allegedly fictitious bodies: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
With the discovery of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, the organisation becomes the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered by the ICPC in its ongoing investigation into fictitious bodies operating within or around the Federal Government structure.