“We Were Misled Into Believing The Office Was Legitimate” — Anambra SSG Says Soludo Approved Her Nomination, State Was Preparing December Fair

The Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Chiamaka Nnake, has explained how she became associated with the controversial National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, saying Governor Chukwuma Soludo nominated her as the state’s focal person after the Anambra State Government received an official-looking request from the organisation.

Nnake said her involvement was limited to official communications concerning the nomination and preparations for a proposed South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair, insisting that she had no knowledge of or connection with any other activities attributed to the organisation now described by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission as an alleged fake government office.

Her clarification followed the circulation of her name and photograph in connection with the organisation after the ICPC announced that it had uncovered the purported office during an investigation into another alleged fictitious body, the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, had disclosed that the Commission discovered the Made-in-Nigeria office while investigating the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council reportedly operated by Adeyemi Matthew.

According to the ICPC, the purported Made-in-Nigeria office had secured office accommodation within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, despite what the Commission said was an absence of presidential authorisation.

Aliyu also said investigators discovered that the organisation had developed a nationwide structure, including coordinators across states, as well as persons described as ambassadors in foreign countries, including the United States and China.

Following the ICPC briefing, President Bola Tinubu ordered the suspension of three Permanent Secretaries allegedly linked to the operations of the organisation and directed the arrest of the person identified as its promoter.

The disclosures generated questions about public officials whose names or photographs had appeared in materials associated with the organisation, prompting Nnake to explain how she came into contact with it.

According to the Anambra SSG, the state government first became involved after receiving a letter from the purported office in January 2026, requesting that each state nominate a focal person.

She said Governor Soludo subsequently nominated her for the role in February 2026.

Following the nominations, Nnake said focal persons representing the 36 states of the federation were added to a WhatsApp group created for discussions relating to the organisation’s activities and programmes.

She explained that the communications appeared to her and the Anambra State Government to form part of an official federal initiative.

The organisation subsequently approached Anambra State with a proposal to host a South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair, she disclosed.

According to her, the proposal was considered and approved by the Anambra State Government.

Preparations for the event had already advanced before the ICPC’s announcement raised questions about the legal status of the organisation.

Nnake said an inaugural meeting for the proposed fair was held approximately two weeks before her clarification, with the participation of the purported national coordinator.

Following that meeting, a state committee commenced preparations for the event, which was scheduled to take place from December 2 to 5, 2026.

The SSG said Anambra officials proceeded with those arrangements because they had been led to believe that the Made-in-Nigeria office was a legitimate government initiative.

It was only after the ICPC publicly described the organisation as an alleged fictitious federal office, she said, that the state became aware of questions surrounding its status.

Nnake consequently sought to draw a clear distinction between her official engagements with the organisation and any other alleged activities now being investigated by the anti-corruption agency.

“Beyond these official interactions and engagements, I have no knowledge of, involvement in, or connection with any other activities, claims, or developments attributed to the said office,” she said.

She stressed that anything attributed to the organisation outside the communications concerning her nomination and the proposed Made-in-Nigeria fair was completely outside her knowledge and involvement.

Her explanation adds another dimension to the unfolding controversy because it indicates that the purported office was communicating with state governments and seeking official nominees as part of what appeared to be a nationwide administrative arrangement.

It also suggests that, at least in Anambra, the approach resulted in formal government action, with the governor nominating a senior state official and the government subsequently approving preparations for a regional event associated with the organisation.

The latest development comes as the alleged promoter of the Made-in-Nigeria office, George Nwabueze, continues to challenge the ICPC’s characterisation of the organisation as fake.