The Enugu State Government has accused Olasijibomi Ogundele, CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, of defrauding the state of N5.76 billion meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools.
It was reported that Ogundele was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday over alleged money laundering and diversion of funds. A video later surfaced in which Ogundele insisted he was not guilty and expressed readiness to clear his name.
The controversy arose from a contract awarded to Ogundele on July 2, 2024, for N11,457,930,950.52 to build the 22 Smart Schools. According to the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Malachy Agbo, the government paid 50 per cent of the contract upfront—N5,762,565,475.25—to fast-track the projects, but the work was reportedly abandoned.
The government alleged that Ogundele failed to meet contractual obligations, deploying inexperienced workers and engineers while producing substandard work.
“Rather than follow the rules of the contract to deliver quality projects for furnishing and equipping ahead of the 2025 school resumption, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy work using inexperienced workers and quack engineers. None of his sites met the structural integrity specified in the structural drawings,” Agbo said.
Efforts by the government to engage Ogundele reportedly failed, with the CEO ignoring calls, messages, and invitations to project briefings. He also allegedly did not make himself available to law enforcement agencies during inspections.
“All efforts to get him to a roundtable to discuss the quality and progress of work proved abortive. He practically abandoned the sites, leaving the government no choice but to petition the EFCC to recover the funds paid to him,” Agbo added.
A joint inspection by the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC on May 8–9, 2025, found minimal to no significant work done one year after the contract award. Some sites had no excavation at all, and while Ogundele had presented a bond from Jaiz Bank, the payment made to Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited was reportedly not used for the projects.
“This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio,” Agbo said.
The government has reassigned the sites to new contractors to ensure completion of the Smart Green Schools initiative ahead of the 2025 school resumption. It also dismissed Ogundele’s public statements as “theatrics and crocodile tears,” assuring that every penny allegedly obtained fraudulently will be recovered.
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Siju should release a statement not tears. Best of luck anyway