An internal dispute between the promoter of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George Nwabueze, and some directors in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation might have triggered the controversies surrounding the office, according to Saturday PUNCH, ABNTV reports.
Multiple officials in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation claimed that the ICPC was misled into believing that the project office was a fake agency by some directors in the SGF office.
According to the sources, a quarrel between the directors and Nwabueze prompted the former to petition the ICPC, alleging that the latter was operating a fake agency.
One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said, “It is not a fake agency. It is a project office. The ICPC was misled into believing it is a fake agency by some directors.
“There was a disagreement between him (Nwabueze) and some directors over some issues, which prompted the directors to petition the ICPC, alleging that someone was running a fake office.
“Instead of the ICPC doing due diligence, they saw it as an opportunity to declare that they had discovered another fake agency. That is far from it. It is a project office, not an agency. It can wind down anytime.”
Another official also said, “How does a project office become an agency, and why has it been operating since 2010 in that office? ICPC didn’t discover anything; they were misinformed by some people at the SGF office who have scores to settle with the promoter of that office.”
Saturday PUNCH noted that since the ICPC’s statement last Friday in which it said the President ordered the arrest of Nwabueze, the agency had been silent.
A highly placed source in the ICPC office said no arrest had been made eight days after the President purportedly approved the arrest of Nwabueze.
He noted that the suspect was not in custody.
“That’s all I can tell you,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Nwabueze, in a statement issued on his behalf by the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Strategic Communications, also disputed the description of the organisation as an unauthorised government agency.
He alleged that some serving and retired officials of the OSGF had frustrated the project through administrative sabotage and suppression of official files.
According to him, the project is an approved public-private special initiative operating under the OSGF.
Nwabueze, in the statement made available to Saturday PUNCH on Friday, claimed that he petitioned the SGF on May 15, 2026, over the alleged withholding of strategic project files, including one relating to the country’s advance delegation to the Asia-Africa Summit 2026 and sub-national energy programmes.
He disclosed that he had instituted Suit No. CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over what he described as threats of administrative eviction and file suppression.
The embattled promoter maintained that the suit was filed to prevent attempts to remove the project from the OSGF without due administrative process.
“The entire subject matter remains subjudice before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
Nwabueze noted that the project was anchored on Executive Orders 003 and 005 of 2017 and 2018, respectively.
