ICPC uncovers another ‘Fake’ Agency as Tinubu orders suspension, arrest of three PermSecs
ICPC uncovers another ‘Fake’ Agency as Tinubu orders suspension, arrest of three PermSecs
The investigation into alleged fictitious government agencies has taken a fresh turn, with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) uncovering another office allegedly operating illegally within the OSGF and prompting President Bola Tinubu to order an arrest and the suspension of three permanent secretaries.
The suspended permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this at the weekend, while briefing State House correspondents after meeting with Tinubu for the second time in two days.
Aliyu said the newly uncovered office operates under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office and had allegedly been allocated office space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation and in violation of extant laws.
According to him, the discovery was made in the course of the commission’s ongoing investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIFC) and procedural weaknesses within the public service.
“Upon further briefing by ICPC to Mr President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered another fake agency and office operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which has been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Aliyu said.
He identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the alleged fake office, adding that he was found to have operated under several variations of his name.
“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,” he said.
Aliyu said Nwabueze also operated under the names George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
The ICPC chairman said the commission had engaged the OSGF to obtain vital information concerning the alleged fake office and had briefed the President on its findings.
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.
He said the President subsequently issued two immediate directives.
“Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries: M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” Aliyu said.
Friday’s development is the latest fallout from the ICPC investigation into the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution over alleged forgery and impersonation.
The commission had submitted an interim report to Tinubu on August 6 after a 30-day investigation into the matter.
The report also uncovered two other alleged fictitious bodies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.
With the latest discovery, the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office becomes the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered by the ICPC in its ongoing investigation into fictitious government bodies operating within or around the Federal Government structure.
