President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze following the discovery of another purported fake government agency operating from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
The development was disclosed on Friday by the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Aliyu made the disclosure after he met with President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
According to Aliyu, the commission uncovered the purported National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office during its ongoing investigation into the activities of the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.
The PFIPC had been allegedly operated by Adeyemi Matthew, who was earlier exposed as having no legal or official mandate from the Federal Government.
Aliyu said the latest discovery raised further concerns about the manner in which fictitious bodies were able to gain access to government facilities and operate within the Federal Government system.
He disclosed that office space had been illegally allocated to the purported National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Following the discovery, Tinubu ordered the immediate arrest of Nwabueze in connection with the activities surrounding the purported agency.
The President also ordered the immediate suspension of three Permanent Secretaries identified as M.S. Danjuma, Engineer Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah over the incident.
The latest development comes two days after the Federal Executive Council approved a comprehensive forensic investigation into government processes and internal controls that allowed fictitious agencies, including the PFIPC, to operate within the Federal Government system.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, had disclosed on Wednesday that the ICPC’s interim investigation into the PFIPC revealed serious gaps in government administrative and control systems.
Oyedele said the investigation established that the PFIPC and its purported head, Adeyemi, had no legal or governmental backing.
He said the ICPC’s findings had also revealed the existence of other fictitious bodies within the government system, prompting the Federal Executive Council to approve a wider forensic investigation.
According to the minister, the investigation would examine government procedures, administrative processes and internal control mechanisms to determine how such bodies were able to operate undetected.
The review is expected to identify weaknesses in the system, correct them and introduce measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Oyedele said President Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and other relevant government institutions to work together on the matter from administrative, accounting and governance perspectives.
The investigation will also examine the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, amid concerns that fictitious agencies could potentially be used to create bogus positions, facilitate fraudulent appointments or enable the existence of ghost workers on the government payroll.
Oyedele warned that such practices could undermine ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to improve the welfare and remuneration of genuine civil servants.
Earlier, ICPC Chairman Aliyu had presented the commission’s interim report on the investigation into the PFIPC, which President Tinubu ordered on July 7 with a 30-day deadline.
Aliyu said the investigation established that neither Adeyemi nor the PFIPC had any legal recognition from the Federal Government.
He explained that Adeyemi was not appointed by the Federal Government or any authorised institution and that the PFIPC was not established by legislation, executive order or any other valid government instrument.
The ICPC chairman further disclosed that the group allegedly assumed the identity and operational instruments of the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council in an attempt to create an appearance of legitimacy.