By Oluwakemi Kindness
A businessman, Gbenga Collins, on Tuesday told the House of Representatives how he allegedly paid N400 million to Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), for a government contract that never materialised.
Collins, Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, made the allegation on Tuesday before the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged establishment and activities of the PFIPC, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi.
Collins said he met Adeyemi in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, in December 2024 and was later invited to Abuja to discuss a business opportunity.
He said Adeyemi sent an official-looking vehicle to pick him up from the airport and took him to an office at the Federal Secretariat.
The presence of security personnel, government vehicles and prominent visitors convinced him that Adeyemi was a genuine government official, he said.
According to Collins, Adeyemi later offered his company a contract to renovate and furnish an official residence allegedly allocated to him as DG.
He said Adeyemi demanded N400 million to demonstrate his company’s financial capacity and facilitate 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.”
Collins said the money was paid in five instalments between May and July 2025.
He said N380 million went into a Guaranty Trust Bank account belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited, while the remaining N20 million was paid into an Access Bank account belonging to Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services.
He said Adeyemi promised that mobilisation would begin in August 2025 but the payment never came.
Collins said he eventually stopped receiving responses to his calls and later consulted a lawyer.
“My lawyer was the first person who told me that I had been scammed.”
He said his lawyer petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in November 2025, after which investigations commenced.
Collins appealed to the committee to intervene, saying the alleged transaction had devastated his finances.
“I have started selling my property. My business is not going well again.”
When Gagdi asked whether the N400 million was a bribe, Collins denied this, insisting that he paid it because he was told it was required to facilitate the contract.
He also admitted that he did not follow the prescribed public procurement process before accepting the purported contract.
Reps summon FRSC Corps Marshal
The committee subsequently summoned the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to appear on Thursday over vehicles allegedly linked to the purported PFIPC that bore official Federal Government number plates.
Gagdi said the committee would also interact with Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody under an existing court order.
He said the meeting would take place at an undisclosed date and location to avoid interfering with ongoing investigations by the EFCC, ICPC and other agencies.
The committee is expected to continue its public hearing on Thursday.
Its investigation covers allegations of forgery, impersonation, financial impropriety and abuse of public institutions.
