SFG Akume
The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, George Buchi Nwabueze, has died back at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s ICPC, describing a “fake agency” label as unacceptable.
Nwabueze insisted that the organisation was never presented as a statutory government agency, but operated as a project office under the supervision of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
“Made in Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from”, Nwabueze said.
He also questioned the ICPC’s claim that the office was uncovered only during its recent investigation, arguing that a Made-in-Nigeria initiative had been the subject of official correspondence with the SGF’s office dating back to 2010.
“A programme that has been in the SGF’s office since 16 July 2010 was just discovered yesterday (Friday). After 16 years; Nigeria is a funny country”, he said.
His response came after ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, identified the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office as one of the structures uncovered during the commission’s investigation into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Aliyu said the commission encountered the outfit while investigating the alleged PFIPC and what he described as weaknesses in administrative procedures within the public service.
According to the ICPC chairman, the office had been allocated space within the OSGF complex without presidential authorisation. He also identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the outfit, alleging that he operated under different variations of his name and had the backing of some senior public servants within the OSGF.
At the heart of Nwabueze’s defence is a document dated July 19, 2010, bearing the letterhead of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Referenced NIG @ 50/S.7/C.3/345, the letter was addressed to Buchi George, identified as Executive Director of The Hats Centre, Owerri, Imo State.
The subject of the correspondence was: “RE: ENDORSEMENT OF OUR PROJECT, MADE IN NAIJA, TO BE HELD IN IRELAND.”
The letter acknowledged receipt of a proposal dated July 16, 2010, and directed the recipient to forward the proposal to the Nigerian High Commission in Ireland for possible consideration.
Signed on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Nwabueze relies on the document as evidence that the Made-in-Nigeria initiative had been brought to the attention of the SGF’s office years before the current controversy.
A more recent document released by Nwabueze is an October 3, 2025 letter purportedly issued by the OSGF through the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office.
Referenced OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205, it was addressed to: “Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, National Coordinator, Made in Nigeria Project Office, OSGF, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.”
The letter conveyed the approval of his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF.
It stated: “I am directed to formally convey the approval of your appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
The letter said the appointment followed “a careful evaluation” of Nwabueze’s commitment, contribution and capacity to deliver on the mandate of the Special Project Office. It further stated that the appointment was for five years beginning from July 2025 and renewable.
According to the document, Nwabueze’s responsibilities included supervising and developing programmes, projects and policies; coordinating regional and state coordinators across the 36 states; and organising exhibitions, trade expos, economic summits and other promotional activities aimed at promoting indigenous products and services.
The letter also stated that the project was to operate temporarily from Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF complex. It added that the appointment was at the pleasure of the SGF and was in line with the objectives of the Made-in-Nigeria initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Another document released by Nwabueze provides perhaps the most important context to the controversy.
Dated April 17, 2025 and referenced PS-PEAO/2025/008/4, it was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, and addressed to the SGF.
Titled “A Proposal for the Made-in-Nigeria Project to be Granted Special Project Status”, the document sought approval for the initiative to be granted Special Project status under the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office of the OSGF.
The proposal stated that the project had been operating for about five years, promoting made-in-Nigeria products and services locally and internationally. It claimed that the project had organised economic forums and trade exhibitions in different parts of the world and had contributed positively to the Nigerian economy, particularly in the area of foreign direct investment.
The document listed increased employment opportunities, economic growth, poverty reduction, support for local industries and domestic production, reduction in imports and conservation of foreign exchange among the expected benefits. It also said the project aligned with government efforts to diversify the economy, reduce dependence on crude oil and promote the non-oil sector.
But the wording of the April document is significant. It did not simply state that the project already had Special Project status. Rather, it asked the SGF to consider and approve the proposed status.
It further proposed the constitution of a five-man technical committee to develop the project’s objectives, implementation framework, monitoring and evaluation framework, key performance indicators, funding arrangements, resource mobilisation and project structure.
The proposal said granting Special Project status would enhance the project’s credibility and performance following a review of its activities and development of operational modalities.
Nwabueze has also pointed to the project’s activities involving state governments. A report published by the organisation documented a stakeholders’ engagement in Nasarawa State involving Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Sule was quoted as saying that the state had domesticated the Federal Government’s Made-in-Nigeria initiative and incorporated it into its 2026 budget.
“For us in Nasarawa State, we have since domesticated this initiative of the Federal Government in our solemn commitment to promote local contents and have value for resources abound in our dear state. I’m happy to inform you that we did not only domesticate this project, but we also accord special attention to its operationalisation by including it in our 2026 budget”, the governor was quoted as saying.
The report also quoted Nwabueze as saying the initiative was domiciled in the OSGF and responsible for promoting the national brand. He further announced plans for a National Brand Processing and Packaging Centre in Nasarawa State.
The organisation’s website identifies Nwabueze George as “Executive Director, National Coordinator” and displays a structure comprising national, zonal and state coordinators. It also lists Dr Bassey B. Unaowo as Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary on Political and Economic Affairs in the OSGF and Dr Hajara Njidda Amoni as Director, National Administration.
Zonal directors and coordinators are listed across several states, while the organisation operates social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn under the handle @pmainpro.
The ICPC chairman had presented a different account.
According to the ICPC, investigators discovered the Made-in-Nigeria office while examining how certain structures operated within the OSGF. Aliyu said the office had been allocated space within the SGF complex without presidential authorisation.
Nwabueze’s response is built around that distinction. He is not claiming that the organisation was an independent statutory agency. Rather, he says it was a project office within the OSGF.
“Made in Nigeria Special Project Office is a project office in the OSGF. We don’t know where fake agency comes from”, he said.
The documentary evidence, however, will have to be assessed against the ICPC’s specific allegation concerning authorisation, rather than simply whether government officials had previously corresponded with the promoters of a Made-in-Nigeria initiative.
