President Bola Tinubu has ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries over the discovery of a new fake agency.
The phoney agency, known as the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was said to be operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The suspected permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah.
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The president also ordered the immediate arrest of the alleged promoter of the fake agency, George Buchi Nwabueze.
The chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, who disclosed the developments to State House correspondents on Friday, said Mr Nwabueze “was discovered to also operate under four other variations of name.”
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The four other name variations are “George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince Geroge Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.”
“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations,” the ICPC chairman said.
The discovery of the new fake agency was an offshoot of ICPC’s investigations into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The ICPC chair had disclosed after briefing President Tinubu on 6 August on the commission’s interim report that the probe discovered two additional fake agencies.
Mr Aliyu said he submitted the interim report on 6 August, exactly 30 days after the President ordered a probe into the matter.
He added that the commission recommended the prosecution of the self proclaimed Director-General of the organisation, Adeniyi Adeyemi, over alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences.
Accountability gap
While President Tinubu was swift to sanction those allegedly linked to the newly discovered fake agency, the earlier case involving the purported PFIPC did not appear to produce the same level of administrative consequence.
It was not immediately clear whether the three permanent secretaries suspended over the latest discovery had any connection to the earlier intriguing case of the PFIPC.
While it was flagged as a fake agency, it is striking how the organisation penetrated the government bureaucracy, acquiring the trappings of a legitimate government institution.
Also interesting was how the phantom agency appeared in the 2026 federal budget with an allocation of about N1.3 billion. Mr Adeyemi confessed that he approached the budget office in 2024 to lobby for a budget allocation in the 2025 appropriation bill.
He said the officials could not help him slot his agency into the 2025 budget, but promised to ensure it is included in the subsequent budget.
Mr Adeyemi said the arrangement was based on future employment opportunities for the officials’ contacts rather than any exchange of money. However, he said the process was never concluded before his arrest, adding that he was surprised to later discover that his agency had been included in the 2026 budget.
Although Mr Adeyemi referred to unnamed officials in the budget office, there is no public indication that the ICPC has expanded its investigation to examine the role of the office or any of its officials.
READ ALSO: Fake Agency Probe: State House denies authorising council creation, FRSC admits number plate issuance
Mr Adeyemi’s alleged appointment and activities also drew allegations against senior government officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Mr Adeyemi claimed that Mr Gbajabiamila was behind his appointment, adding he received money through proxies and demanded more. Mr Gbajabiamila denied the allegations when he appeared before the ICPC. Mr Adeyemi also said he never met Mr Gbajabiamila.
Mr Gbajabiamila was subsequently vindicated by the ICPC. Mr Adeyemi also acknowledged that he had never personally met Mr Gbajabiamila and had dealt with someone he believed was acting on his behalf.
The recent cases of the two phantom agencies showed how porous Nigeria’s government system could be.
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