President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of George Buchi Nwabueze following the discovery of another fictitious agency operating within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF.
The President also directed the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries identified as M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah over the development.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Dr Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Friday after briefing the President at the State House for the second time in two days on the commission’s ongoing investigation into fraudulent agencies and procedural weaknesses within the public service.
Aliyu said the commission uncovered the purported “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office” while investigating the previously exposed fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
According to him, the purported office had been allocated space within the OSGF premises despite lacking legal backing and presidential authorisation.
“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
The ICPC chairman said investigations further revealed that Nwabueze allegedly operated under several variations of his name, including George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
He said the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain relevant information concerning the purported agency and had comprehensively briefed the President on its findings.
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” Aliyu said.
Following the briefing, the President directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries pending further investigation.
The latest discovery is part of a wider investigation initiated after the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose purported Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is facing prosecution over alleged forgery and impersonation.
The ICPC had, in an interim report submitted to President Tinubu on August 6 after a 30-day investigation, also identified two other fictitious entities — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
The discovery of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office brings to four the number of fictitious agencies uncovered by the commission since the investigation into the fake PFIFC began.
The ICPC said investigations into the latest development would continue.
(Punch)
