Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, head of the National Brand Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, has rejected reports describing the initiative as a “phantom” or unauthorised government agency, saying its operations are backed by official approvals and protected by an ongoing court process.

The controversy follows a recent report by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), which alleged the discovery of an “unauthorised agency” operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

In a statement seen on its website on Monday, the management said the Made in Nigeria Project was not established as a statutory government agency or a parallel civil service institution but as an approved public-private initiative anchored on Executive Orders 003 of 2017 and 005 of 2018.

The organisation now designated fictitious by the ICPC has at least 20 state coordinators and two country representatives in the United States and China. President Bola Tinubu has reportedly called for the arrest of the agency’s head.

Nwabueze, through the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Strategic Communications, said the reports misrepresented the legal and institutional status of the project.

“The Made in Nigeria Project has never operated as, nor claimed to be, a statutory civil service agency. Rather, it is an approved Public-Private Project Initiative anchored on the presidential mandates of Executive Order 003 (2017) and Executive Order 005 (2018),” the statement said.

It said the initiative was designed to stimulate domestic manufacturing, empower producers at the sub-national level, and increase non-oil exports.

The management also cited a documented approval trail within the OSGF, including an official correspondence with reference number PS-PEAO/2025/008/4 under the Political and Economic Affairs Office (PEAO).

According to the statement, the memorandum approved the establishment of a five-member Technical Committee to supervise the project’s development objectives, monitoring frameworks, and public-private implementation structures.

“The institutional standing of the Special Project, according to the management, is established through official supervisory correspondence with Reference Number PS-PEAO/2025/008/4 under the Political and Economic Affairs Office (PEAO) of the OSGF,” it said.

The management also alleged that the project had faced prolonged administrative obstruction from some serving and retired officials within the OSGF.

It said it petitioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on May 15, 2026, over the alleged withholding and suppression of strategic project files.

Among the files it cited was PS/PEAO/2025/008/66, which it said concerned Nigeria’s advance delegation to the Asia-Africa Summit 2026 and sub-national energy programmes.

The management alleged that the administrative obstacles were being used to frustrate the nationwide implementation of its domestic industrial programmes.

Nwabueze also said he had gone to court to challenge what he described as attempts to remove the project from the OSGF framework and suppress relevant files.

He instituted Suit No. CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

According to the statement, the court issued a Writ of Summons on June 10, 2026, directing the defendants to maintain the status quo pending determination of the substantive suit.

“In response to what it described as unlawful threats of administrative eviction and file suppression without due administrative process, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze sought judicial protection by instituting Suit No: CV/2634/26 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,” the statement said.

It added that the matter remained sub judice.

The management said Nwabueze had spent more than 16 years promoting domestic enterprise development and had secured partnerships and endorsements across 30 states.

It also said he maintained “absolute respect” for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the OSGF and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The statement said Nwabueze’s legal team would submit certified copies of the approvals, memoranda and court processes to the relevant authorities as part of efforts to resolve the controversy.

It urged the media, business partners and members of the public to disregard what it called “sensationalized and malicious reports” intended to criminalise legitimate public-private initiatives. (Daily Trust, excluding headline)

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