The arrest order against Nwabueze Buchi George over the alleged operation of a fake government agency has raised fresh questions about how the purported office secured access to government premises and communicated with state authorities.
George, national coordinator of the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, on Saturday published an appointment letter which he said was issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
The document, dated October 3, 2025, carries the OSGF letterhead and reference number OSGF/MIN/59310/11/205. It was purportedly signed by Nadungu Gagare, identified in the document as permanent secretary in the Political and Economic Affairs Office.
The letter is titled “Appointment as National Coordinator and Executive Director Made in Nigeria Project Office.”
According to the document, George was appointed National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the OSGF for a five-year tenure beginning from July 2025, renewable at the end of the term.
“I am directed to formally convey the approval of your appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” the letter states.
It said the appointment followed an assessment of George’s “commitment, contribution, and capacity” to deliver the mandate of the Special Project Office.
The document also assigned George responsibility for supervising programmes, projects and policies, as well as regional and state coordinators.
He was further mandated to organise exhibitions, trade expos, economic summits and other promotional activities designed to advance the use of indigenous products and services.
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The Office Space Question
One of the most significant details in the purported appointment letter is its reference to a specific location within the OSGF complex.
The document states that the project would operate from “the temporary Office Space at Room B53, Ground Floor, within the OSGF Complex” for its coordination activities.
It also said the appointment was “at the pleasure of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation” and was aligned with the Made in Nigeria initiative under the Renewed Hope agenda.
However, the existence and authenticity of the document are now central to the wider controversy surrounding George and the alleged fake agency.
On Saturday, President Bola Tinubu ordered George’s arrest over allegations that he operated a fake government agency within the premises of the SGF’s office.
The President also ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries following findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said the discovery emerged from a broader investigation into the activities of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and other procedural weaknesses within government.
Letters to State Governments
The controversy took another dimension after several state governments reportedly received letters from George requesting the nomination of state coordinators for the Made in Nigeria Project Office.
READ ALSO; ICPC recommends prosecution of man behind fake government agency
The development raises questions about the extent to which the purported office had projected itself as an authorised federal government structure before the allegations surfaced.
George, in defending his position, shared the purported appointment letter on his LinkedIn page on Saturday.
The document, however, has not by itself established whether the appointment was legitimately authorised, whether the office was formally constituted, or how it obtained access to space within the OSGF complex.
Those questions are expected to form part of the investigations following the President’s directive and the ICPC findings.
For now, the conflicting claims surrounding the appointment, the use of official government letterhead, the allocation of office space and correspondence with state governments have deepened scrutiny of how unauthorised entities could allegedly operate within or around the federal government’s administrative structure.