The House of Representatives’ investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as a businessman alleged before lawmakers that he paid ₦400 million as a facilitation fee to secure a contract for the renovation and furnishing of an apartment purportedly designated as the official residence of the agency’s Director-General.
The businessman, Gbenga Collins, Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, made the startling disclosure while testifying before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the activities of the PFIPC and the utilisation of the ₦1.3 billion appropriated to the council in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Collins told the committee that Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC, personally took him to inspect the apartment slated for renovation and furnishing before handing him documents relating to the proposed contract.
According to the witness, Adeyemi informed him that the residence allocated to him required extensive refurbishment, furnishing and other improvements, and invited his company to undertake the project.
Collins further testified that after spending the night in Abuja, Adeyemi returned the following day with members of his staff for another inspection of the property, where discussions on the execution of the contract continued.
He told lawmakers that the events occurred around April 2025, after which Adeyemi allegedly handed him a contract award letter, the project’s scope of work and a formal agreement between Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited and the agency for the execution of the refurbishment project.
The businessman further alleged that Adeyemi demanded the payment of ₦400 million, describing it as a facilitation fee intended to demonstrate the company’s financial capacity to execute the contract and serve as part of the mobilisation process.
Collins told the committee that he made the payment based on the understanding that it was a prerequisite for the commencement of the project.
The revelation is the latest in a series of explosive testimonies before the House panel, which is probing the legal status, operations and financial activities of the PFIPC, including questions surrounding the ₦1.3 billion allocated to the council in the 2026 national budget.
The committee is expected to continue hearing from key witnesses as it seeks to unravel the circumstances surrounding the agency’s activities and determine whether due process was observed in the award and execution of contracts linked to the council.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations made before the lawmakers have not been tested or established in a court of law.