Nigerians expressed shock at how fake agencies could operate in a highly organised government establishment to the point of having office space at the Federal Secretariat.
Divine Akor said the reported existence of fake agencies within the Federal Government is not merely an administrative embarrassment but a serious indictment of the machinery of governance.
According to him, the disturbing question is simple: How can an organisation allegedly without a lawful mandate present itself as a Federal Government agency, operate within government premises and interact with public officials without being detected earlier?
“Government agencies are not private associations that can be created with a letterhead, office and fancy title. They require legal backing, an approved structure, a supervising authority and verifiable government records.
“If the safeguards against fake agencies were bypassed, then the Tinubu administration must accept that there is a serious failure of institutional oversight,” he said.
On his part, Isaac Adeyemo stated that President Tinubu deserves credit for ordering investigations, noting, however, that ordering an investigation after the damage has been done is not enough.
“The more important question is: Who allowed these entities to exist and operate in the first place? The Office of the Head of the Civil Service, the SGF’s office, relevant ministries and other supervisory authorities must explain what checks failed.
“And if insiders facilitated or protected these operations, they must be investigated alongside the alleged perpetrators,” he stated.
Also speaking, Blessing Ede asserted that Nigerians deserve clear answers: Were public funds, government facilities, official documents, contracts or privileges accessed through these entities?
She demanded the publication of a comprehensive register of all legally recognised federal agencies and their establishing laws, as well as the immediate verification of organisations occupying government premises.
“Audit the financial activities connected to the alleged fake agencies. Investigate both external perpetrators and government insiders who may have enabled them. Strengthen digital verification of every federal institution,” she added.
In the same vein, Paul Ogbole asked relevant authorities to hold officials accountable for serious supervisory failures.
According to him, if not for the lawlessness, nepotism, lethargy and inherent corruption that characterise the Nigerian government and governance, the architects of the discovered fake agencies should have been duly prosecuted, as well as the dismissal of regulatory-cum-supervisory agencies under whose watch such illegality occurred.
“The President cannot personally monitor every government office, but he is ultimately responsible for the integrity of the executive machinery. Nigeria does not need another scandal that ends with a few arrests while the loopholes remain open.
“If a fake agency can allegedly operate inside the Federal Government without immediate detection, then the real scandal is not only the fake agency. The real scandal is a system that made its existence possible,” he stated.
