President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of the promoter of another purported fake government agency and the suspension of three federal Permanent Secretaries following fresh findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Friday after briefing Tinubu on the commission’s latest findings.
Aliyu identified the three Permanent Secretaries ordered suspended by the President as M. S. Danjuma, Engr. Nadungu Gagare and Richard Pheelangwah.
He said the President also directed the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze, who allegedly promoted and operated the purported agency.
The newly uncovered entity, according to the ICPC chairman, operated under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.
The latest development followed an investigation by the anti-corruption agency into the proliferation of fictitious government entities and alleged abuse of official structures, with ICPC uncovering an entity that had reportedly secured office accommodation within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) without presidential authorisation.
Aliyu said the discovery was made in the course of the commission’s wider investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which Tinubu had earlier directed the ICPC to investigate.
He explained that the purported agency had allegedly secured office accommodation within the OSGF premises despite not having presidential approval to operate as a federal government entity.
The ICPC chairman said the commission was now engaging relevant officials within the OSGF to determine how the entity gained access to government premises and establish the roles played by public officials and other individuals.
“I have briefed Mr. President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigation,” Aliyu said.
The ICPC is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the purported agency’s emergence, how it secured government office accommodation and whether any public officials facilitated its operations.
The commission said Nwabueze allegedly operated under several variations of his name, including George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Buchi Nwabueze.
Aliyu said the latest discovery had further widened the scope of the commission’s investigation into fictitious government entities and the exploitation of official structures by individuals seeking to create the impression of government authority.
He said the development underscored the need for stronger controls and greater scrutiny of government institutions and administrative processes.
The ICPC chairman commended Tinubu for directing a wider policy audit of federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and internal government processes, describing the initiative as a proactive measure to strengthen governance.
“President Bola Tinubu must be commended for the proactive step of directing the policy audit of MDAs and internal government processes towards strengthening government governance system,” he said.
The latest discovery came barely weeks after the fictitious PFIPC, which had reportedly operated while presenting itself as a legitimate government institution, was exposed.
Following that discovery, Tinubu had directed the ICPC to investigate the individuals behind the purported agency and determine whether public officials had facilitated its activities.
The investigation subsequently uncovered the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, prompting the latest presidential directives.
The ICPC probe is expected to focus not only on the individuals behind the purported agency but also on the institutional weaknesses that allowed an unauthorised entity to gain access to federal government premises.
The commission is also expected to determine whether the suspended Permanent Secretaries breached administrative procedures or played any role in facilitating the operation of the purported agency.
The development has intensified scrutiny of the processes governing the creation, recognition and operation of government agencies, as the Federal Government moves to identify and shut down fictitious entities operating within or around the public service.
Deji Elumoye
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