Businessman Tells Reps How He Allegedly Paid ₦400m for Fake Government Contract
A businessman, Gbenga Collins, has told the House of Representatives how he allegedly paid ₦400 million to Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to be the Director-General of the now-disputed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), after being promised a government contract.
Collins, who is the Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, gave the testimony on Tuesday before the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged activities of the PFIPC, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi.
He said he believed Adeyemi was a genuine government official because he operated from an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, used vehicles with federal government number plates, and moved around with security personnel.
According to Collins, he first met Adeyemi in December 2024 at an event in their hometown, Ogbomoso, Oyo State. He said Adeyemi later invited him to Abuja in early 2025 to discuss a business opportunity.
“When I arrived at the airport, he sent an official car to pick me up from the airport to his office at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja,” Collins told the lawmakers.
He said the vehicle was a Lexus SUV with a federal government registration number and that he saw police officers and several people he described as dignitaries around Adeyemi’s office.
The alleged contract
Collins said Adeyemi told him that an official residence assigned to him as a director-general needed renovation and furnishing, and offered his company the contract.
He said Adeyemi personally took him to inspect the property with several staff members and security personnel.
“He told me he wanted to do refurbishment and renovation of the official house assigned to him and asked whether I would be able to handle the contract,” he said.
The businessman said he later received a contract award letter, scope of work and agreement documents from the purported agency.
According to him, Adeyemi requested ₦400 million as proof of his financial capacity and to speed up 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. At the same time, he said it would fast-track the mobilisation for the contract,” Collins said.
How the money was paid
Collins told the committee that the money was paid in five instalments between May and July 2025.
He said:
₦100 million was paid on May 16, 2025
Another ₦100 million was paid on May 22
A further ₦100 million was paid on May 28
₦80 million was paid on June 20
The remaining ₦20 million was paid on July 29
He said the first ₦380 million was transferred into an account belonging to World Entrepreneurs Limited, while the final ₦20 million was paid into an account linked to Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services.
Collins explained that he raised the money from business associates because he trusted Adeyemi’s claims.
“I was the one who told them I had gone to this man’s office, so I believed it was going to be a great opportunity for us. That was why people started giving me the money,” he said.
Contract never happened
The businessman said after making the payment, Adeyemi assured him that mobilisation would begin in August 2025.
However, he said the project never started, and Adeyemi later blamed delays on security issues before eventually becoming unreachable.
“My lawyer was the first person who told me that I had been scammed,” Collins told the committee.
He said a petition was later submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in November 2025, leading to an investigation.
According to him, EFCC investigators told him Adeyemi had failed to honour invitations, allegedly citing health reasons through his lawyer.
Businessman appeals for help
Collins appealed to the committee to assist him, saying the incident had severely affected his finances and business.
“I have started selling my property. My business is not going well again,” he said.
He maintained that he acted based on trust because of Adeyemi’s office setup, government-looking vehicles and the people around him.
Reps question ₦400m payment
During the hearing, lawmakers questioned whether the payment was a bribe to secure a government contract.
Collins rejected the claim, insisting that Adeyemi presented the money as a requirement for project facilitation and mobilisation.
He also admitted that he did not go through the normal public procurement process before accepting the contract.
Following his testimony, the committee summoned the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to explain how vehicles allegedly linked to the purported agency obtained federal government number plates.
The lawmakers said the number plates contributed to Collins’ belief that Adeyemi was operating a legitimate government institution.
Adeyemi yet to appear before committee
Committee chairman Yusuf Gagdi explained that Adeyemi had not appeared because he remained in police custody following a court order.
He said the National Assembly would not interfere with ongoing judicial proceedings or investigations by agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC.
The committee chairman added that Adeyemi would still be engaged at a later date, but details would not be made public to avoid affecting ongoing investigations.
The House committee is investigating allegations of forgery, impersonation, financial misconduct and abuse of public institutions linked to the activities of the alleged PFIPC.
