The Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gbenga Collins, has told a House of Representatives investigative committee that he paid N400 million to Adeniyi Adeyemi, Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), after allegedly being promised a contract to renovate and furnish an official residence linked to the executive.
Collins made the allegation on Tuesday while appearing before the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the establishment and activities of the PFIPC, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi.
He told lawmakers that he first met Adeyemi in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, in December 2024 during a community event.
According to him, Adeyemi later invited him to Abuja early in 2025 to discuss a business opportunity.
Mr. Collins said his confidence in Adeyemi’s claims was strengthened by what he described as official-looking arrangements, including a government vehicle sent to pick him up from the airport, security personnel at the office and what appeared to be a functioning government environment.
“When I got to his office, I met a lot of people, very big dignitaries in his office, and I met a group of security officers guarding the office, ” he said.
He alleged that Adeyemi introduced himself as the Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and PFIPC, before presenting an opportunity involving the renovation of an official residence.
Collins said Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property with staff and security personnel, where the scope of work was discussed.
“He told me that he wanted to do refurbishment and renovation of the official house assigned to him as the DG of that agency and asked whether I would be able to handle the contract,” he said.
According to Collins, Adeyemi later provided him with a contract award letter, scope of work and agreement documents purportedly authorising Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited to execute the project.
He alleged that he was asked to pay N400 million as facilitation for the project, which he believed would speed up mobilisation.
“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 told the committee that the money was raised from business associates who trusted his judgement because of his personal interactions with Adeyemi and the appearance of official backing.
He said the payments were made in five instalments between May and July 2025.
According to him, N380 million was paid 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.
“When I was paying the money, I kept telling him that I collected the money from my colleagues who were doing business with me.”
After the payments, Collins said Adeyemi repeatedly assured him that mobilisation for the project would begin, initially in August 2025 and later in November.
However, he alleged that the promised contract never commenced and that communication with Adeyemi eventually became difficult.
Collins said he later consulted a lawyer, who informed him that he had allegedly been defrauded.
“My lawyer was the first person who told me that I had been scammed, ” he said.
He disclosed that a petition was subsequently submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on November 13, 2025, after which the agency began investigating the matter.
According to Collins, the EFCC invited individuals connected to the accounts where the funds were allegedly paid, but Adeyemi reportedly failed to appear before investigators, citing health concerns through his lawyer.
He told lawmakers that he had left the matter in the hands of the EFCC, which he said was best positioned to continue the investigation.
The committee is expected to further examine the allegations and the activities of the PFIPC as part of its ongoing probe.
