Hafsat Sahabi Dange, a lawyer and entrepreneur listed as the Sokoto coordinator of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, has distanced herself from the organisation amid an investigation into its alleged status as a fake federal agency.
Ms Dange said she never assumed the position, exercised governmental authority or participated in the operation of the organisation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, she said she was compelled to clarify her position after her name and photographs surfaced in connection with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) investigation.
Ms Dange explained that she first came into contact with the organisation in 2025 when she was nominated as its Sokoto coordinator.
According to her, after receiving the nomination letter, which was also addressed to the Sokoto State governor, she sought clarification on the appropriate protocol with the state government rather than presenting herself as a representative of the Federal Government.
“At the subsequent inauguration, I was informed that the Sokoto State Government did not recognise my nomination,” she said.
Ms Dange said she consequently did not take up the position.
“I did not assume the position or exercise any purported governmental authority. I was subsequently offered an alternative national position, which I declined,” she added.
She also denied having any financial or operational role in the organisation.
“For clarity, I did not collect money from members of the public, receive or administer public funds, enter into contracts on behalf of the project, issue governmental licences or approvals, recruit personnel, or otherwise exercise governmental or operational authority on its behalf,” she clarified.
Ms Dange said the circulation of her photographs on social media could create a misleading impression that she was involved in the activities now under investigation.
“I respectfully urge the media and members of the public to distinguish between being nominated for a proposed position and knowingly participating in the operation of an alleged unauthorised or fraudulent organisation.”
She said her professional record was built around corporate affairs, entrepreneurship, women’s economic empowerment, mentorship and public service.
“My record of work and service speaks for itself, and I remain committed to continuing that work,” she noted.
How her name appeared on the organisation’s structure
Ms Dange’s clarification comes days after the ICPC brought the organisation under scrutiny as part of its investigation into alleged fictitious government bodies.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the commission identified George Nwabueze as the promoter of the alleged fake office and said President Bola Tinubu had ordered his immediate arrest.
The president also ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries including: M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah, following the discovery.
The ICPC said the organisation had been allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) without presidential authorisation.
The organisation’s website, however, presented it as a Federal Government project under the OSGF, with a national coordinator, zonal directors, state coordinators and representatives in the United States and China.
Ms Dange was listed on the website as the Zonal Director, North, while the organisation separately listed individuals as state coordinators, including a Sokoto coordinator.
Her name, therefore, appeared within the structure of an organisation that presented itself as having a nationwide network.
The appearance of her name on the website, however, did not by itself establish that she knowingly participated in any alleged wrongdoing.
Her statement now provides a different account of how she became associated with the organisation.
Ms Dange said she was only nominated for the Sokoto position and that the state government subsequently informed her that it did not recognise the nomination.
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Her account also raises a distinction that is important to the ongoing investigation: being named or nominated for a position is not necessarily evidence that the person accepted the role or exercised the authority attached to it.
Nwabueze’s defence
Ms Dange’s clarification comes as Mr Nwabueze continues to dispute the ICPC’s description of the organisation.
Following the commission’s disclosure, Mr Nwabueze said the Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office was a project office under the OSGF and had existed for years.
He subsequently posted documents on his LinkedIn profile which he said supported the organisation’s links to the OSGF.
One of the documents was a letter dated October 3, 2025, purportedly issued by the OSGF, conveying what it described as approval of his appointment as National Coordinator and Executive Director of the Made-in-Nigeria Project Office.
Another document he posted was a proposal dated April 17, 2025, seeking special project status for the initiative.
He later posted another purported OSGF letter dated July 19, 2010, concerning an earlier “Made in Naija” project.
PREMIUM TIMES reviewed the documents posted by Mr Nwabueze but could not independently authenticate them.
The dispute over the organisation’s status has therefore centred on conflicting accounts: the ICPC says the office operated without presidential authorisation, while Mr Nwabueze maintains that it was a project domiciled under the OSGF.
The ICPC investigation is expected to clarify how the organisation obtained access to government premises, who authorised its activities and the extent of its relationship with public officials.
For Ms Dange, however, the immediate concern is to make clear that her inclusion in the organisation’s structure did not translate into participation in its activities.
She said she never assumed the Sokoto coordinator position and did not exercise governmental or operational authority on behalf of the organisation.
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