A businessman, Gbenga Collins, has alleged that he gave the controversial director-general of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi N400 million to facilitate the award of a contract to renovate and furnish an apartment he claimed was his official residence.
Collins, who is the managing director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, made the allegation when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the controversy surrounding the PFIPC and the N1.3 billion allocated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
According to him, he believed the council was a legitimate federal government agency because Adeyemi operated from an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, used official vehicles with government number plates, and was surrounded by security personnel.
Collins told the panel that he first met Adeyemi in December 2024 when he introduced himself as the director-general of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and that Adeyemi later informed him about plans to renovate his official residence and invited his company to execute the project.
The businessman said Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property, accompanied by staff and security personnel and later in April 2025, Adeyemi presented him with a contract award letter, scope of work and an agreement for the refurbishment project.
Collins said Adeyemi later demanded N400 million as proof of his company’s financial capacity and to facilitate mobilisation for the contract.
“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.
The businessman said he raised the money from business associates who trusted him because he had personally visited Adeyemi’s office and believed he was dealing with a genuine government agency.
He claimed that the money was paid in five instalments between May and July 2025 into accounts belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited and Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services.
The businessman said the promised mobilisation never came, despite repeated assurances that payment would commence in August and later November 2025.
“My lawyer was the first person who told me that I had been scammed,” Collins said, adding that a petition was subsequently filed with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While admitting that he did not follow the public procurement law, Collins denied paying the money as a bribe, insisting he believed it was a condition for facilitating the contract.
He appealed to the committee to recover the funds from Adeyemi.
