The Anambra State Government has found itself linked to a purported federal agency that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has identified as fake.

The organisation, known as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, allegedly operated from premises within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

This has raised questions over how the organisation gained recognition from government officials and was able to engage state governments before its alleged lack of official authorisation came to light.

In Anambra, the organisation had gone as far as securing the state government’s participation in plans for a Made-in-Nigeria Fair.

The state’s Secretary to the Government, Mrs Chiamaka Nnake, was nominated as Anambra’s focal person for the purported agency.

Nnake has now explained how the state became involved, saying the government acted on official correspondence it believed came from a legitimate federal office.

In a statement titled, “Clarification on the ‘Made-in-Nigeria Agency’ and My Role as State Focal Person,” the SSG said the Anambra Government was first contacted in January 2026.

According to her, the letter was addressed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo and came from the organisation, which presented itself as an office operating under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The communication requested that the state nominate a focal person.

Nnake said she was subsequently nominated by the governor.

The development did not stop with the appointment.

She said focal persons from the 36 states were brought together in a WhatsApp group where matters concerning the activities of the purported office were discussed.

“Following the nominations, focal persons from the 36 states have been in a WhatsApp group engaging on issues relating to the activities of the office,” she said.

The organisation later approached the Anambra State Government with a request to host the South-East edition of its proposed Made-in-Nigeria Fair.

The request was approved.

Nnake said an inaugural meeting was subsequently held in Anambra about two weeks before her clarification, with the person presented as the National Coordinator of the organisation attending the meeting.

“Since then, the State Committee has been working on preparations for the Fair, which is scheduled to take place from December 2 to 5, 2026,” she said.

The plans, however, changed after the ICPC announced that it had uncovered the purported agency as part of its wider investigation into fictitious government bodies.

The anti-corruption commission said the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office had been illegally allocated office space within the OSGF.

It also identified Prince George Buchi Nwabueze as the promoter of the organisation.

According to the ICPC, Nwabueze allegedly operated under several variations of his name and had suspected collaborators within the OSGF.

The commission said the organisation was operating without presidential authorisation.

Nnake, however, said her role was based solely on communications received by the Anambra Government and the activities that followed from those official engagements.

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

She further stated: “I therefore wish to make it clear that anything beyond the above-mentioned official interactions is entirely outside my knowledge and involvement.”

For now, the status of the planned Made-in-Nigeria Fair remains uncertain following the ICPC’s discovery.

In a Related Development, the latest ICPC discovery is connected to a wider investigation that has already uncovered serious concerns surrounding another purported federal body.

On August 6, 2026, the ICPC submitted an interim report to President Bola Tinubu on its investigation into the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an organisation promoted by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.

The commission said it established that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the purported council had no legal foundation.

ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, also disclosed that documents used to support the organisation’s claim of legitimacy were forged.

“Our investigation confirmed that the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was forged, while the PFIPC was never legally established by the Federal Government,” Aliyu said.

The investigation also uncovered two other fictitious bodies allegedly linked to the PFIPC controversy.

They were identified as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.

The ICPC said the discovery pointed to weaknesses within government processes that allowed organisations without proper legal backing to present themselves as government institutions.

The council appeared in the budget alongside the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and was allocated more than N1.3 billion.

President Tinubu subsequently directed the ICPC to investigate the matter.

The commission’s August 6 findings recommended prosecution for Adeyemi and exposed additional fictitious agencies.

The matter took another turn on August 19, when the Federal Executive Council approved a broader forensic investigation into government processes and internal controls that allowed fictitious agencies to operate within the federal system.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the  Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announced the decision after an FEC meeting.

The fresh investigation was intended to examine how such bodies could gain access to government structures and operate without the necessary approvals.

Barely two days later, the ICPC announced the discovery of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office.

On August 21, Aliyu disclosed that the organisation had operated from office space within the OSGF despite allegedly lacking presidential approval.

He identified Nwabueze as its promoter and said investigators had found suspected collaborators within the OSGF.

“Upon further briefing by ICPC to Mr President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered another fake agency and office operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which has been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Aliyu said.

Following the revelation, President Tinubu ordered Nwabueze’s immediate arrest.

The President also directed the suspension of three permanent secretaries identified as M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah.

The ICPC said its investigation into the latest alleged fake agency was continuing.