Sujimoto CEO’s Defence Rejected as Enugu Pursues N5.7 Billion Recovery

Sujimoto CEO’s Defence Rejected as Enugu Pursues N5.7 Billion Recovery
Ogundele insist he is not guilty and ready to clear his name
The State government posit practically abandoned the sites

The Enugu State Government has accused Olasijibomi Ogundele, Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, of defrauding the state of N5.76 billion intended for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across Enugu.

Eko Hot Blog reports that Ogundele was declared wanted on Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged money laundering and diversion of funds.

A video later surfaced showing Ogundele insisting he was not guilty and ready to clear his name.

EDITOR’S PICK

The controversy, according to the real estate developer, stems from a contract with the Enugu State Government.

In a statement on Friday, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Malachy Agbo, said the contract, awarded on July 2, 2024, was valued at N11,457,930,950.52 for the construction of the 22 schools.

The state reportedly paid 50 percent upfront to accelerate the work, which was subsequently abandoned.

“The Enugu State Government paid the sum of N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum, in order to fast-track the projects at all the sites,” the statement partly read.

The government alleged that Ogundele failed to meet contractual obligations, employing inexperienced workers and engineers while producing substandard work.

“Rather than play to the rules of the contract to deliver quality projects for furnishing and equipping ahead of September 2025 school resumption, in line with the priority placed on the Smart Green Schools initiative by the government, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and the use of inexperienced workers and quack engineers.

None of his sites met the structural integrity of the projects as specified in the structural drawing,” Agbo said.

According to the statement, Ogundele ignored repeated attempts by the government to engage him, including calls, messages, and invitations to project briefings.

“All efforts made by the government to get him to a roundtable to discuss the quality and progress of work proved abortive.

He equally refused to attend the periodic projects briefing organised by the state government for all contractors or take numerous calls and messages put across to him.

In fact, he practically abandoned the sites, leaving the Enugu State Government with no other choice than to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to recover the funds paid to him,” the statement added.

A joint inspection by the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC on May 8 and 9, 2025, reportedly revealed “minimal to no significant work done at the said sites one year after the contract award.”

The government also said the sites had no excavation and that although Ogundele had presented a bond from Jaiz Bank, payments went through Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited’s account without being deployed to the projects.

“This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio,” Agbo stated.

The state has since reassigned the sites to new contractors to ensure completion of the Smart Green Schools initiative before the 2025 school resumption.

The government urged Nigerians to ignore Ogundele’s public statements, describing them as “theatrics and crocodile tears.”

“Nigerians should therefore disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears, as Enugu State Government is determined to and will surely recover every penny of Ndi Enugu fraudulently obtained by Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele (Sujimoto),” the statement concluded.

EDITOR’S PICK

FURTHER READING