SGF Keeps Silent as Made-in-Nigeria Project Boss Challenges Critics

ABUJA — The National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office, Nwabueze Buchi George, has pushed back against questions over the organisation’s legitimacy, insisting that the programme had been in existence for 16 years.

George’s defence came as the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) refused to publicly address the controversy surrounding the outfit.

Responding on LinkedIn to mounting questions following the ICPC’s investigation into the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, George accused critics of failing to notice the programme earlier.

“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.

George said the project originated from an initiative dated June 15, 2010 and cited a July 19, 2010 letter from the OSGF as evidence of its history.

But the document he presented was addressed to a “Buchi George” of The Hats Centre in Owerri, Imo State. It dealt with the endorsement of a “Made In Naija” project for an event in Ireland and did not refer to a federal Made-in-Nigeria brand development agency.

Questions have also emerged over his claim that the organisation has operated continuously since 2010. Another document released by George, dated October 3, 2025, communicated his appointment as National Coordinator/Executive Director of the Made in Nigeria Project Office, with a five-year tenure commencing in July 2025.

The materials used to promote the office describe it as an initiative to “Drive Local Production Development” under an “Industrialise Nigeria” campaign.

The office became the subject of heightened scrutiny following the ICPC’s investigation into an alleged fraudulent federal agency operating under a similar name. The probe has raised questions about the legal authority, funding arrangements and government supervision of George’s organisation.

Attempts by Vanguard to obtain clarification from the OSGF were unsuccessful. Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the SGF, did not respond to enquiries, while Chris Ugbuegbulam, Head of Information and Public Relations at the OSGF, was unreachable.

With the OSGF yet to respond, questions surrounding the office’s legal foundation, funding and oversight remain unresolved.

The organisation’s website, however, displays photographs of 20 state coordinators representing Kogi, Bauchi, Oyo, Taraba, Kano, Ondo, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, Abia, Sokoto, Ogun, Anambra, Osun, Kebbi and Delta.

Anambra SSG: I Only Participated in Official Activities

The Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Chiamaka Nnake, has meanwhile explained why her photograph appeared among the state coordinators of the organisation.

Nnake said she became the state’s “focal person” after Governor Charles Soludo received a request in January 2026 for the nomination of a representative. She was subsequently nominated in February.

She said representatives from all 36 states were placed in a WhatsApp group to discuss the activities of the office.

According to Nnake, the organisation later requested that Anambra host the South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair. The state approved the request, and an inaugural planning meeting was held about two weeks ago in the presence of George.

She said preparations were underway for the fair, scheduled for December 2 to 5, 2026.

Nnake stressed that her involvement was limited to those official engagements.

“Beyond these official interactions and engagements, she has no knowledge of, involvement in, or connection with any other activities, claims, or developments attributed to the said office.

“I therefore wish to make it clear that anything beyond the above-mentioned official interactions is entirely outside my knowledge and involvement,” she added.

Ex-Perm Sec Blames Weak Government Checks

Former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Goke Adeboroye, has attributed the emergence of an alleged fake presidential agency to weaknesses in Nigeria’s bureaucracy.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Adeboroye referred to the ICPC’s discovery of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which the commission said used forged appointment letters and other official documents.

He questioned how such an organisation could allegedly gain access to government structures, including appointments, budgetary provisions and office space, without being detected.

“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 said key offices, including the OSGF, the Chief of Staff to the President and the Head of the Civil Service, require stronger bureaucratic systems capable of supporting presidential policies while preventing unlawful or fraudulent instructions from being implemented.

“The bureaucracy in those offices are not strong enough to be able to help the President drive the vision at the speed and with the efficiency that he wants,” he said.

He also stressed that career civil servants must be able to challenge directives that fail to comply with established procedures.

“The political office holders are principals to the bureaucracy, and a lot of times, the bureaucracy takes directives from them.

“You need a bureaucracy that is not just professional but also has the capacity. The commitment to the system is also driven by his own or her own personal integrity,” he said.

According to him, civil servants should be sufficiently familiar with government procedures to detect fake communications purportedly from the Presidency.

“Whether the person brings fake or whatever, you as the civil servant should be trained to be able to detect what should be a genuine communication from the State House. You work in that system,” he said.

Adeboroye explained that presidential approvals normally move through established channels involving the Chief of Staff, SGF and, where relevant, the Head of Service.

“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 recalled an incident from his time as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior involving a former governor seeking a diplomatic passport on the basis of an alleged presidential approval.

Adeboroye said the then Immigration Comptroller-General, Ude, verified the approval instead of acting immediately. Although an approval existed, the official sought an audience with the President to determine whether the former governor, who had left office, should receive the diplomatic passport.

“That’s somebody using the experience of the system to ensure that you are not outplayed,” Adeboroye said.

He argued that similar verification could have exposed questionable directives in the current case.

“So we would have expected that on a simple phone call, when I was working in the office of Ekaette, Secretary of Government, I could pick a phone, call any minister, call this, it’s just a phone call from the office of whoever to say, ‘Chief of Staff, is this true’? And that would have actually corrected it,” he said.

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