A clandestine operation operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has been uncovered following an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, SAN, revealed that the “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office” had been illegally granted space inside the OSGF premises without presidential authorisation and in violation of existing laws.
The commission identified the promoter as George Buchi Nwabueze, who also operated under aliases including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, and Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, alongside suspected collaborators within the OSGF.
In the wake of the briefing, President Bola Tinubu ordered Nwabueze’s immediate arrest and directed the suspension of three permanent secretaries: M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
Prior to the enforcement action, the entity maintained an active website portraying itself as an official statutory body created to drive Nigeria’s transition from a consumption-driven to a production-led economy.
The site claimed the initiative was originally conceived at the 2017 Nigeria-Singapore Economic Forum, later formalised under Ambassador Chike Alex Anigbo (MNI), and approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2017. It further stated that after functioning as a public-private partnership alongside Trade Nigeria and running trials with nations such as Ireland, South Korea, Singapore, and Poland, the office was permanently established under the OSGF.
According to its online promotional materials, the entity claimed a wide-reaching mandate aimed at empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), fostering industrial growth, and reducing import reliance.
Among its listed objectives were plans to “revive moribund factories” via Build-Own-Operate-Transfer and foreign direct investment models, as well as establishing a “National Labelling and Anti-Counterfeiting System” to ensure product authenticity.
The organisation also advertised intentions to launch a National Products Gallery to showcase Nigerian goods at international expos, support innovation hubs and research centres, and provide SMEs with training and tools to access global markets.