Tinubu Orders Arrest, Suspends Three Permanent Secretaries Over Fresh Fake Agency
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the arrest of a man identified as George Buchi Nwabueze and suspended three permanent secretaries following the discovery of another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The affected permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Friday after briefing the President on the latest findings of the commission’s investigation.
The agency at the centre of the latest discovery is the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which allegedly operated from office space within the OSGF without presidential approval or legal authorisation.
According to Aliyu, the office was promoted by Nwabueze, who allegedly operated under several variations of his name.
He listed the names as George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
The ICPC chairman said the commission was working with the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the office as investigations continue.
He said the findings had been presented to Tinubu, who subsequently ordered the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries.
The latest discovery adds a new dimension to the ongoing investigation into fictitious government agencies.
The scandal first came to public attention following the exposure of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing prosecution over accusations of forgery and impersonation.
An interim ICPC report submitted to Tinubu on August 6, after a 30-day investigation, had also identified two other allegedly fictitious bodies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is now the fourth allegedly fake agency uncovered in the investigation since the PFIFC scandal emerged in April.
