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Gbenga Collins, Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, has told the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) controversy that he paid Adeniyi Adeyemi ₦400 million to facilitate the award of a government contract.
Collins made the disclosure on Tuesday while testifying before the committee investigating the alleged irregularities surrounding the PFIPC and the ₦1.3 billion appropriated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
He told lawmakers he believed the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government agency because Adeyemi operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, used official vehicles with government number plates and was accompanied by security personnel.
According to Collins, he first met Adeyemi in December 2024 when the latter introduced himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
He said Adeyemi later informed him of plans to renovate and furnish what he described as his official residence and invited Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited to execute the project.
Collins testified that Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property alongside members of his staff and security personnel before presenting him with a contract award letter, scope of work and refurbishment agreement in April 2025.
The businessman said Adeyemi subsequently requested N400 million to demonstrate his company’s financial capacity and facilitate mobilisation for the project.
“I had to pay ₦400 million for the facilitation of that project to show my strength that I would be able to handle the project,” Collins told the committee.
He explained that the funds were sourced from business associates who trusted him because he had visited Adeyemi’s office and believed he was dealing with a genuine government institution.
Collins said the ₦400 million was paid in five instalments between May and July 2025 into accounts belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited and Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services.
He, however, said the promised mobilisation funds never materialised despite repeated assurances that payment would commence first in August and later in November 2025.
“My lawyer was the first person who told me that I had been scammed,” Collins said, adding that he subsequently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Although he admitted he did not comply with the Public Procurement Act, Collins denied paying a bribe, insisting he believed the payment was a legitimate requirement for facilitating the contract.
He appealed to the lawmakers to help recover the ₦400 million from Adeyemi.
The PFIPC controversy has also drawn in Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after Adeyemi claimed the presidential aide issued his appointment letter as Director-General, an allegation Gbajabiamila has strongly denied.
Adeyemi had also claimed he borrowed ₦400 million to secure the PFIPC appointment and that the lenders later reported him to the EFCC after he failed to repay the debt.
Police operatives arrested Adeyemi in Osun State on July 14, days after Gbajabiamila instituted a ₦15 billion defamation suit against him.
The controversy has continued to deepen, with several heads of government agencies alleging that forged documents submitted by Adeyemi paved the way for budgetary allocations to the PFIPC.
Subsequent testimonies before the House committee by the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation also raised concerns over document verification failures and the approval process that allowed the agency’s staffing structure and recruitment waiver to proceed.
