Nigeria may soon have fake states, governors, assemblies – Experts raise alarm amid new fake agency scandal

The discovery of a second alleged fake government agency operating within Nigeria’s federal government structure has raised fresh concerns over bureaucratic oversight, accountability and the verification of organisations claiming links to the government.

The latest controversy centres on the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) described as an unauthorised organisation allegedly operating from a government building in Abuja.

ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, said the organisation was allegedly promoted by George Buchi Nwabueze, who reportedly used different variations of his name.

Following a briefing by the commission, President Bola Tinubu reportedly ordered Nwabueze’s arrest and suspended three permanent secretaries in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The discovery came during an ICPC investigation into the disputed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), allegedly promoted by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.

The PFIPC was reported to have operated from the Federal Secretariat in Abuja for about two years before the Presidency disowned it as a fraudulent organisation.

The emergence of another alleged fake agency has consequently raised questions about how organisations with questionable government status are able to establish offices, operate within official structures and present themselves to members of the public as legitimate government bodies without being detected.

Governance expert and public commentator, Dr Joe Abah, said the problem could extend beyond the two organisations currently under investigation.

“Another day, another ‘fake agency.’ There are all sorts of bodies that have offices in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Federal Secretariat,” Abah wrote on X.

According to him, some organisations only require “a government-sounding name, a government-looking logo and an SGF address” to create an impression of official government backing and potentially raise funds.

Abah also recalled an experience from his time in government involving an organisation that repeatedly offered him and his staff free foreign trips under the guise of a mentorship programme.

He said he became suspicious after the promoter failed to clearly explain who established the organisation and how it was funded.

“Interestingly, my civil servants, who would always welcome a foreign trip, never tried to convince me. They probably already knew what I could only sense, being new at the time – that it was advanced 419,” he said.

Abah called for a comprehensive review of activities and organisations operating around the Office of the SGF.

‘Institutional Failure, Not Just Individual Criminality’

Professor Murtala Muhammad, Vice-President of the Nigerian Political Science Association, said the controversy should not be viewed solely as a case of individuals allegedly creating fake organisations.

He described it as “fundamentally a governance and institutional failure, rather than merely a case of individual criminality.”

Muhammad said weak verification procedures, inadequate oversight and poor enforcement could create opportunities for private individuals to appropriate the authority and legitimacy of the state.

“The alleged creation of offices, fabrication of appointment documents and efforts to present the organisation as a legitimate government institution point to serious weaknesses in bureaucratic verification and institutional accountability,” he said.

He linked the problem to broader issues including poor governance, corruption, weak inter-agency coordination and inadequate accountability within the public service.

Muhammad also expressed concern over reports that the PFIPC allegedly sought a ₦1.3 billion budgetary allocation, saying the development could indicate that vulnerabilities extended into the government’s fiscal system.

He called for stronger verification procedures for government agencies and appointments, improved information-sharing among government institutions and tighter budgetary controls.

“Fake agencies, therefore, do not emerge in a governance vacuum; they thrive where corruption, administrative weakness and inadequate accountability create the institutional space for their operation,” he said.

Potential Political Consequences

The political analyst also warned that the controversy could have implications for the Tinubu administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said opposition parties could portray the alleged ability of fictitious organisations to establish offices, create nationwide structures and penetrate government processes as evidence of administrative weakness, corruption or institutional capture.

However, he argued that the government could contain the reputational damage by responding with transparency, evidence-based accountability and institutional reforms.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Y. Z. Ya’u, also described the development as a reflection of deeper institutional problems.

“I wonder why Nigerians are surprised that there are fake agencies within the federal government. It is the height of naivety to expect anything other than this,” Ya’u said.

He warned that failure to address the problem could lead to even more serious forms of impersonation of government institutions.

“Soon, if we are not careful, we have fake state with fake Governor and State Assembly getting allocation from the federation account,” he added.

Dalung Demands Wider Investigation

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has called for a broader investigation into the organisation, particularly following reports that it had coordinators in about 20 states and representatives in China and the United States.

“Who appointed these coordinators? Who communicated those appointments? Who interacted with them as representatives of the organisation?” Dalung asked.

The questions have added to growing calls for authorities to determine how the organisation allegedly established a network of representatives and operated without its status being immediately questioned by relevant government institutions.

Nwabueze Rejects ‘Fake Agency’ Description

Nwabueze, however, has rejected the description of the Made-in-Nigeria project as a phantom or unauthorised government agency.

His management said the initiative was an approved public-private project anchored on Executive Orders 003 of 2017 and 005 of 2018.

“The Made in Nigeria Project has never operated as, nor claimed to be, a statutory civil service agency,” the statement said.

The conflicting claims have left the legal status, administrative authority and relationship between the project office and the Federal Government at the centre of the controversy.

The latest development has therefore renewed calls for the Federal Government to clarify the status of organisations operating from government premises, establish who authorised them and strengthen verification mechanisms to prevent individuals or private organisations from improperly presenting themselves as official government institutions.

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