George Nwabueze has defended the legitimacy of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office after the ICPC accused him of promoting a fictitious federal agency operating from government premises.

Nwabueze, the National Coordinator and Executive Director of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, posted several documents which he said established the initiative’s connection to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

He relied particularly on a purported 2010 letter to argue that the initiative was not newly created and had been associated with government activities for many years.

He also posted a purported appointment letter from the OSGF dated October 2025, which conveyed approval of his appointment as National Coordinator and Executive Director.

The letter reportedly outlined responsibilities including the supervision of programmes, coordination of state and regional officers and the organisation of events promoting Nigerian products and services.

The dispute began after the ICPC announced that it had uncovered another alleged fake federal agency during an investigation into a separate organisation.

According to the commission, the Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office was operating from space within the OSGF complex without presidential authorisation.

The ICPC identified Nwabueze as the promoter of the organisation and said President Bola Tinubu had directed that he be arrested.

The President also ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries in the OSGF following the commission’s findings.

Nwabueze has rejected the allegations and argued that the history of the initiative and the documents he released contradict the description of the office as fictitious.

Premium Times said it could not independently verify the authenticity or current status of the documents released by Nwabueze.