The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on the Federal Government to expand its investigation into fake government agencies to include institutions and officials who allegedly facilitated their operations.
CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, made the call while speaking on Channels Television on Monday.
His reaction followed the announcement by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that it had uncovered another alleged fake government agency, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Projects Office, reportedly promoted by George Nwabueze.
Rafsanjani described the development as a serious threat to the integrity of Nigeria’s public institutions.
He called for a comprehensive audit of government agencies, recovery of funds and assets linked to the alleged fake agencies, and prosecution of individuals who facilitated their operations.
He said those who enabled the agencies to open bank accounts or secured their inclusion in the national budget should also be investigated.
Rafsanjani specifically called for scrutiny of the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Head of the Civil Service, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, relevant officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant-General of the Federation.
“This is not a simple issue that can be treated as mere misconduct. It is a fundamental question about the integrity of Nigerian public institutions,” he said.
He insisted that the investigation should go beyond the individuals who allegedly created or promoted the fake agencies.
“This investigation must also lead to the recovery of all money and assets in the possession of these fake agencies. All those who facilitated the opening of bank accounts for them must be investigated, and the necessary action taken against them,” he said.
Rafsanjani warned that concentrating the investigation on a single individual could undermine public confidence in the process.
“If the focus is only on one person or one individual, and the enablers and other agencies and institutions are not investigated, there is no way anyone, whether in Nigeria or abroad, will believe that this is not a cover-up,” he said.
“An individual cannot perpetrate this criminality alone. There must be people who benefited, either financially or politically, from this act.”
CISLAC faults National Assembly
The CISLAC director also criticised the National Assembly for what he described as inadequate oversight of government agencies.
He said the Senate should apologise to Nigerians if it approved agencies that were later found to be illegitimate without detecting the problem through its oversight functions.
“For the Senate in particular to take the decision that it will not investigate, while the executive is investigating, defeats the purpose of why you are there as a body empowered to investigate,” he said.
Rafsanjani warned that failure to conduct a thorough investigation could damage Nigeria’s reputation internationally.
“It is not about party affiliation or supporters of the president, but about the country’s integrity. The international community and diplomats will find it difficult to relate with us because they will be contemplating whether they are dealing with a fake agency or the legitimate one,” he said.
He commended the ICPC for uncovering the alleged fake agencies but urged the commission to publish its findings and recommendations.
“We commend the ICPC for going further to expose these people. If they had not acted, these additional fake agencies would not have been discovered. But we will continue to advocate that no stone is left unturned,” he said.
Rafsanjani also called on President Bola Tinubu to strengthen anti-corruption institutions and provide them with the independence and political support required to investigate corruption without interference.
He welcomed the suspension of three permanent secretaries in connection with the matter but argued that the investigation should determine whether more officials were involved.
“I believe that when you investigate, you will discover that there are more than just three people. Everyone involved in this matter must be brought to book,” he said.
© 2026, Standard Focus. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from STANDARD FOCUS.