Tinubu Orders Audit After ICPC Uncovers Fake Government Agencies

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered four fake federal government agencies operating under the guise of the Nigerian Presidency, some of which maintained physical offices within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu responded to the discovery by ordering the arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, who promoted the fraudulent National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office. President Tinubu also suspended three Permanent Secretaries in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation: M. S. Danjuma, Engr. Nandungu Gagare, and Richard Pheelangawa. To address systemic oversight failures, the president has mandated a forensic audit of all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

Among the fictitious entities was the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, led by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew. This agency allegedly operated 34 bank accounts and secured a 1.3 billion naira allocation in the 2026 National Appropriation Act. The ICPC also identified the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency as fake. While Nwabueze contested the claims by producing an appointment letter and asserting his agency operated since 2010, the scandal coincides with a 2025 ICPC scorecard showing that none of the 344 assessed government agencies achieved full ethics and integrity compliance.