PFIPC: I gave Adeniyi Adeyemi ₦400m to facilitate contract, businessman tells Reps

The Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, Gbenga Collins, has told the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) controversy that he paid Adeniyi Adeyemi ₦400 million to facilitate the award of a renovation and furnishing contract.

Collins made the claim on Tuesday while appearing before the committee probing the PFIPC and the ₦1.3 billion allocated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The businessman said he believed PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency because Adeyemi operated from an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, used vehicles with government number plates and moved around with security personnel.

According to Collins, he first met Adeyemi in December 2024 after the latter introduced himself as the Director-General of PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).

He said Adeyemi later informed him about plans to renovate his official residence and invited his company to handle the project.

Collins told lawmakers that Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property alongside some staff members and security personnel.

He added that in April 2025, Adeyemi provided him with a contract award letter, scope of work and agreement documents for the refurbishment project.

The businessman alleged that Adeyemi later requested ₦400 million as evidence of his company’s financial capacity and to enable mobilisation for the project.

“I had to pay N400 million for the facilitation of that project to show my strength that I would be able to handle the project,” he said.

Collins said he sourced the money from business associates who trusted him because he had visited Adeyemi’s office and believed he was dealing with a genuine government institution.

He alleged that the payment was made in five instalments between May and July 2025 into accounts belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited and Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services.

However, Collins said the promised mobilisation never happened despite repeated assurances that payment would begin in August and later November 2025.

“My lawyer was the first person who told me that I had been scammed,” he said, adding that he later submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

While acknowledging that he did not comply with public procurement procedures, Collins denied that the money was a bribe, insisting that he paid it because he believed it was required to facilitate the contract.

He appealed to the committee to help recover the funds from Adeyemi.

Background

The PFIPC controversy has placed Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, at the centre of the investigation.

Adeyemi, who is accused of operating the agency, had claimed that Gbajabiamila issued his appointment letter, an allegation the Chief of Staff has denied.

Adeyemi also alleged that he borrowed ₦400 million to secure his appointment as PFIPC Director-General and that those who lent him the money later reported him to the EFCC.

He was arrested on July 14 by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State, days after Gbajabiamila filed a ₦15 billion defamation suit against him.

Some government officials have alleged that Adeyemi submitted forged documents that resulted in budgetary allocations for the council.

On July 27, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, Accountant-General of the Federation, told the committee that Adeyemi allegedly hijacked a letter sent to the State House that could have exposed the alleged forgery of documents used by PFIPC.

On July 29, Esther Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, said due diligence was not carried out in verifying documents submitted by PFIPC before approval was granted for its staffing structure and recruitment waiver.