SGF silent as phantom agency boss fires back

The embattled National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office, Nwabueze Buchi George, has dismissed growing scrutiny of the organisation, insisting that the programme has existed for 16 years.

George made the claim amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged fake federal agency operating under a similar name and questions over the legal status and official backing of his organisation.

Responding to criticism in a LinkedIn post, George questioned why the programme was only attracting public attention in 2026 if, according to him, it had been operating since 2010.

“How can you discover a 16 years program in 2026, it’s means you have been blind, we are committed to the national development,” he wrote.

His comment came after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) launched investigations into what it described as a fraudulent federal agency operating under a similar name.

Documents raise questions over 16-year claim

George has traced the origin of his organisation to an initiative dated June 15, 2010 and circulated a July 19, 2010 letter from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) as part of the programme’s history.

However, the document was addressed to a “Buchi George” of The Hats Centre in Owerri, Imo State, and related to the endorsement of a project called “Made In Naija” for an event in Ireland.

The document did not, on its face, establish the existence of the current Made-in-Nigeria Project Office as a federal agency.

Another document circulated by George has also raised questions about his claim that the organisation has operated continuously for 16 years.

The document is an appointment letter dated October 3, 2025, from the OSGF, formally conveying his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office.

The appointment was reportedly for a five-year tenure beginning in July 2025.

Materials published by the organisation describe the office as an initiative aimed at driving local production development under an “Industrialise Nigeria” campaign.

OSGF silent on controversy

The controversy has also raised questions about the legal foundation, funding and oversight of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office within the Presidency.

Efforts to obtain clarification from the OSGF were reportedly unsuccessful.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yomi Odunuga, did not respond to enquiries, while the Head of Information and Public Relations at the OSGF, Chris Ugbegbulem, was reportedly unreachable.

The silence has left questions about the status and official authority of the organisation unanswered.

A review of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office’s website reportedly showed the photographs of 20 state coordinators from states including Kogi, Bauchi, Oyo, Taraba, Kano, Ondo, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, Abia, Sokoto, Ogun, Anambra, Osun, Kebbi and Delta.

Anambra SSG explains involvement

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Chiamaka Nnake, has explained her involvement with the organisation after her photograph appeared on materials identifying her as the state’s focal person.

Nnake said Governor Chukwuma Soludo nominated her in February 2026 after the state received a letter from the Made-in-Nigeria Office requesting the appointment of a state focal person.

She said focal persons from the 36 states subsequently participated in a WhatsApp group where they discussed activities associated with the office.

According to Nnake, the organisation later approached the Anambra State Government to host the South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair.

She said the request was approved and an inaugural meeting was held about two weeks ago with George in attendance.

The state, she added, began preparations for the fair, which was scheduled for December 2 to 5, 2026.

Nnake, however, distanced herself from any activities beyond her official interactions with the organisation.

She said she had “no knowledge of, involvement in, or connection with any other activities, claims, or developments attributed to the said office.”

Ex-permanent secretary blames bureaucratic weaknesses

Former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Goke Adeboroye, has meanwhile attributed the emergence of the alleged fake presidential agency to weaknesses within Nigeria’s bureaucratic system.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Adeboroye said the incident raised serious questions about how an organisation could allegedly gain access to government structures, budgetary provisions and office space without detection.

“The exposure of that fake presidential agency is a major lapse to say that somebody can actually come into the system, get in on the budget, get offices, and all of that,” he said.

Adeboroye identified weaknesses in the bureaucratic structures supporting key offices, including the OSGF, the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service.

He argued that career civil servants should possess sufficient professional capacity to verify directives and identify suspicious communications purportedly originating from the Presidency.

According to him, presidential approvals normally pass through established channels involving senior officials, making verification possible before government agencies act on questionable instructions.

“When the President approves anything, he always minutes to about three people. He goes to the Chief of Staff, he goes to SGF, and if he has something to do with civil service, the Head of Service will have it,” he said.

Adeboroye also recalled an incident from his time as a permanent secretary in which a former governor presented what was claimed to be presidential approval for a diplomatic passport.

He said the relevant official cross-checked the approval before acting, demonstrating how knowledge of established government procedures could prevent irregularities.

The former permanent secretary said similar verification mechanisms should have been used to detect questionable directives and prevent alleged fraudulent organisations from gaining access to government structures.