The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered another fake agency with office space in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
This is as President Bola Ahmed ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries allegedly linked to the operation of the fake agency.
The latest development followed the discovery of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) which was being operated by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Following the discovery, President Tinubu had ordered the ICPC to conduct an investigation into the formation and operation of the fake agency.
About two weeks ago, the ICPC submitted an interim report to President Tinubu with a revelation that two other agencies were been operated by Adeyemi Matthew.
On Wednesday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) also ordered a forensic audit of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies aimed at plugging the loopholes and prevent a recurrence.
The chairman of the ICPC, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed the existence of the new fake agency while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Tinubu on Friday.
Adamu said the new fake agency was discovered as part of the ongoing investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which was been operated by Adeyemi Matthew.
He gave the name of the fake agency as ‘National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office,’ which had been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The ICPC boss said President Tinubu has directed the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, the promoter of the new fake agency.
He said the President has also ordered the immediate suspension of the three Permanent Secretaries allegedly linked to the saga.
He gave the names of the permanent secretaries as, M.S Danjuma, Engineer Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah
The ICPC boss said, ‘the promoter, Geroge Buchi Nwabueze was discovered to also operate under four other variations of his name: George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Hon. George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.
‘The ICPC has interacted with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation with a view to ascertaining vital information with regard to the fake agency/office under investigation,’ he said.
Nigeria needs stronger checks, accountability – Modibbo
Speaking to Weekend Trust on Friday night, Muktar Modibbo, Secretary General, Follow the Money International, said the discovery of another alleged fake agency within the Federal Secretariat in recent months showed that the problem went beyond the existence of fictitious government bodies.
He said the development pointed to weaknesses in Nigeria’s governance systems, particularly the absence of effective checks and balances.
‘Considering that in the last two months or so, there was another fake agency that was uncovered existing within the Federal Secretariat. So I think pretty much what we need to really look at is not about uncovering whether fake agency or not fake agency, but instead of lack of check and balance in our systems,’ Modibbo said.
He said the incidents demonstrated the need for stronger accountability and institutional safeguards to prevent such developments rather than waiting for them to occur before investigations were launched.
‘But, you know, uncovering fake agency did not just start in Nigerian system of government. I mean, even in the American system of government has had this kind of thing,’ he said.
According to him, the issue should prompt a broader review of Nigeria’s governance structures and mechanisms for ensuring institutional legitimacy.
‘It shows that our system needs a lot of check and balances, not when issue happen and then we have to now investigate and then uncover,’ Modibbo said.
He added that Nigeria needed to strengthen accountability and oversight across government institutions.
‘I think we need a lot of issues of legitimacy, a lot of issues of accountability and a lot of issues of systems, check and balances in the system that we operate as a country,’ he said.
Also speeaking on the same issue, Dr Umar Yakubu, Executive Director, Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity, said the discovery of alleged fictitious agencies was a welcome development but raised questions about the effectiveness of existing accountability mechanisms.
He said the development showed that stronger oversight was needed to prevent unauthorised or fictitious agencies from being established within the government system.
‘Well, I have to say it’s a welcome development that this thing has happened, but this does not absorb the accountability mechanisms that have not been active to ensure that such things do not take place in the first instance,’ Yakubu said.
He said the National Assembly, which appropriates funds for federal agencies, should have mechanisms to determine the actual number of agencies operating within the government.
‘Now, if we had a very active National Assembly, they would have known the actual number of agencies in the country because they are the ones that appropriate funds for every agency at the federal level. So it means they are failing in their duty and responsibility to do that,’ he said.
Yakubu said it was concerning that the executive had to initiate an investigation into an issue involving the executive, rather than the legislature taking the lead through its oversight functions.
‘That is why it had to take the executive initiating an investigation when it’s supposed to be the National Assembly initiating these investigations,’ he said.
According to him, the discovery of three alleged fictitious agencies raised the possibility that more could exist undetected.
‘But it means now these three agencies that were discovered could have been 100 agencies. It could have been more than that,’ he said.
He therefore urged the National Assembly to strengthen its oversight responsibilities and ensure that public funds were appropriated only to legally recognised government agencies.
‘So the National Assembly, from my own view, should be held responsible to live up to its expectations to ensure that every revenue is properly appropriated to the legal agencies,’ Yakubu said.