By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Anambra State Government has said it was misled into collaborating with a purported Made-in-Nigeria Agency that has now been exposed as fake and non-existent.
The state government disclosed that it had been preparing to host the South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair scheduled for December 2 to 5, 2026, following official communications it believed originated from an office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Mrs Chiamaka Nnake, made the clarification following the circulation of her photograph on social media, where she was identified as the state focal person for the purported agency.
Nnake explained that the state’s involvement began in January 2026 when the Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, received a letter requesting each state to nominate a focal person for the agency.
According to her, Soludo subsequently nominated her in February to represent Anambra State. She said focal persons from the 36 states were thereafter added to a WhatsApp group where they discussed matters relating to the activities of the purported office.
She added that the state later received a request from the same office to host the South-East Made-in-Nigeria Fair. The request was approved by the state government, while an inaugural planning meeting was held about two weeks ago with the purported National Coordinator in attendance.
Nnake said the state committee had since commenced preparations for the event before the organisation was exposed as fake.
She, however, stressed that her involvement was limited to the official engagements initiated through the communications received by the state government.
“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.
The SSG further stated that any activities or claims linked to the purported agency outside the official interactions she outlined were completely unknown to her.
The development has raised questions over how the purported agency was able to establish contact with government officials across the country and secure official engagements before its alleged non-existence was uncovered.
