THE Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, Gbenga Collins, has told the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) controversy that he paid N400 million to the council’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to facilitate the award and mobilisation of a government contract.
Collins made the disclosure while testifying before the committee probing the legality of the PFIPC and the N1.3 billion appropriated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“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.
According to him, he believed the PFIPC was a legitimate government agency because Adeyemi operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, used official vehicles with government registration plates and was accompanied by security personnel.
The businessman said he first met Adeyemi in December 2024 after he introduced himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
Collins told lawmakers that 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.
He said Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property alongside members of staff and security personnel before presenting his company, in April 2025, with what appeared to be a contract award letter, scope of work and a refurbishment agreement.
Collins testified that Adeyemi subsequently requested N400 million as proof of the company’s financial capacity and to facilitate mobilisation for the contract.
He said he sourced the funds from business associates who trusted him because he believed he was dealing with a genuine federal government institution after visiting Adeyemi’s office.
According to Collins, the money was paid in five instalments between May and July 2025 into bank accounts belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited and Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services.
However, he 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 that the transaction did not comply with the Public Procurement Act, Collins rejected suggestions that the payment constituted a bribe, insisting he genuinely believed it was an official requirement for processing and facilitating the contract.
He appealed to the lawmakers to help recover the N400 million from Adeyemi.
The hearing forms part of the House committee’s investigation into allegations surrounding the PFIPC, whose inclusion in the 2026 federal budget has generated widespread controversy.
The scandal has also drawn in the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after Adeyemi allegedly claimed that Gbajabiamila issued his appointment letter as Director-General of the council but Gbajabiamila has denied the claim and filed a N15 billion defamation suit against Adeyemi.
Adeyemi has also claimed he borrowed N400 million to secure his appointment as PFIPC DG and that his creditors later reported him to the EFCC.
He was arrested on July 14, 2026, by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Osun State.
During the ongoing investigation, several government officials have raised concerns over the processes that led to the recognition of the PFIPC.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, told the committee that Adeyemi allegedly intercepted a letter sent to the State House that could have exposed forged documents used in connection with the council.
Similarly, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Esther Walson-Jack, told lawmakers that due diligence was not conducted before approvals relating to the council’s staffing structure and recruitment waiver were granted.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.