A businessman, Gbenga Collins, has told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) that he paid ₦400 million to the council’s embattled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, to facilitate the award of a contract.
Collins made the allegation on Wednesday while testifying before the committee probing the establishment and operations of the controversial council.
According to him, he travelled to Abuja where he was officially received by Adeyemi in what he described as the manner expected of the head of a government agency.
He alleged that Adeyemi presented him with a contract award letter, the scope of work and an agreement authorising his company to undertake the renovation and furnishing of the Director-General’s official residence.
“He gave me a contract award letter, the scope of work and, at the same time, the agreement with my company to execute that refurbishment project. He then asked me to pay ₦400 million as facilitation for the project to demonstrate my capacity to execute it and to fast-track mobilisation,” Collins told the committee.
Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Yusuf Gagdi, disclosed that Adeyemi had been absent from the hearings because he is currently in police custody and is also under investigation by anti-graft agencies.
Gagdi said the committee intends to meet with Adeyemi privately as part of its ongoing investigation.
The committee also summoned the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) over official Federal Government number plates allegedly used on vehicles linked to the disputed council.
The House panel is investigating the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operations of the PFIPC following allegations that it operated without lawful authority.
The probe was triggered by claims made by Adeyemi that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded 48 per cent of the council’s proposed ₦27.3 billion take-off grant.
Adeyemi further alleged that the Chief of Staff received ₦400 million through a proxy and later requested an additional ₦200 million to facilitate presidential approvals.
Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations, insisting that he has no personal, official or professional relationship with Adeyemi. He also denied demanding or receiving any money, rejected claims linking him to the death of Babatunde Tanimola—whom Adeyemi identified as an intermediary—and dismissed allegations that he interfered with investigations or had any connection to an alleged assassination attempt on Adeyemi.
Following the allegations, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.
Amid the controversy, the House of Representatives constituted a 12-member ad hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the council, its inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, and the alleged allocation of about ₦1.3 billion to the agency in the 2026 budget.
During an earlier appearance before the panel, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, said none of the funds appropriated for the council had been released or spent.
According to Yakubu, although the National Assembly approved funding for the agency, the statutory conditions required for the release and utilisation of the funds were never met.
