“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. At the same time, he (Adeyemi) said it would fast-track the mobilisation for the contract.”
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), after being promised a government contract to renovate and furnish an official residence.
He gave this testimony before the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged establishment and activities of the PFIPC, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau).
Mr Collins said he first met Mr Adeyemi in December 2024 at a programme in their hometown, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
He said Mr Adeyemi subsequently invited him to Abuja in January or February 2025 to discuss a business opportunity.
According to him, an official vehicle picked him up at the Abuja airport and took him to Mr Adeyemi’s office at the Federal Secretariat.
“When I arrived at the airport, he sent an official car to come and pick me from the airport to his office at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja,” he told the committee.
He said the vehicle was a Lexus SUV with a federal government registration number.
Mr Collins said he met several people, including security personnel, at the office and that Mr Adeyemi presented himself as the director-general of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the PFIPC.
“I saw police officers with him. That was my first time coming to Abuja because I’m not familiar with Abuja very well. He sent his official car to pick me up from the airport. It had a federal government registration number attached to the Lexus SUV,” he said.
Mr Collins said Mr Adeyemi subsequently told him that an official residence had been allocated to him as director-general and that the property required renovation and furnishing.
He said Mr Adeyemi offered Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited the contract to carry out the work.
According to him, Mr Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property the following day.
“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.
Mr Collins said they visited the property with several staff members and security personnel, adding that several vehicles were used for the inspection.
“He took me to the house to show me the property because I slept in Abuja. We went there the following day with his staff. We went with more than four, five or six vehicles with security. They opened the house and took us round, showing me what they wanted to do,” he said.
He said he could not remember the exact location of the property because he was unfamiliar with Abuja, but still had photographs of the building.
Mr Collins said discussions over the project continued after he returned to Ogbomoso until April 2025, when Mr Adeyemi invited him back to Abuja.
He said the ‘DG’ then gave him a contract award letter, a scope of work and an agreement between the purported agency and his company.
According to him, Mr Adeyemi told him to pay N400 million as evidence of his financial capacity to execute the project and to facilitate mobilisation.
“He gave me the contract award letter, the scope of work and the agreement with my company to execute the refurbishment 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. At the same time, he said it would fast-track the mobilisation for the contract,” he said.
Mr Collins said he sourced the money from business associates who trusted his judgment because he had personally visited Mr Adeyemi’s office and believed he was dealing with a legitimate federal government official.
He said the N400 million was paid in five instalments between May and July 2025.
The first N100 million was paid on 16 May 2025 into an account held by World Entrepreneurs Limited at Guaranty Trust Bank.
Another N100 million was paid into the same account on 22 May, and a further N100 million on 28 May.
Mr Collins said he later paid N80 million into the account on 20 June, bringing the total paid into the World Entrepreneurs Limited account to N380 million.
He said he subsequently told Mr Adeyemi that he could no longer raise any more money, as he had exhausted his resources.
The remaining N20 million was eventually paid on 29 July 2025 into an Access Bank account belonging to Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services, bringing the total amount to N400 million.
“When I was paying the money, I kept telling him that I collected the money from my colleagues who were doing business with me.
