Olasijibomi Ogundele, founder of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, has been accused of defrauding the Enugu State Government of N5.76 billion.
According to the state government, the funds were meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
The Enugu government urged Nigerians to disregard Ogundele’s public statements, dismissing them as “theatrics and crocodile tears.”
NAIJAONPOINT had earlier reported that Ogundele was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday over alleged money laundering and diversion of funds.
Shortly after, a video surfaced showing Ogundele insisting he was not guilty of any crime and was ready to clear his name.
The real estate developer maintained that the controversy arose 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 was awarded on July 2, 2024, for a total of N11,457,930,950.52 to cover the construction of 22 Smart Schools.
According to Agbo, the government paid 50 per cent upfront to accelerate the project, but the work was 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 Olasijibomi Ogundele failed to meet contractual obligations, instead deploying inexperienced workers and delivering 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. Olasijibomi Suji 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 stated.
The statement added that several efforts to engage Ogundele were unsuccessful, as he allegedly ignored calls, messages, and invitations to periodic 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 (EFCC) to recover the funds paid to him,” he said.
Agbo revealed that a joint inspection carried out by the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure alongside the EFCC on May 8 and 9, 2025, showed “minimal to no significant work done at the said sites one year after the contract award.”
The inspection further revealed that no excavation had been done at any of the sites. The commissioner added that although Ogundele presented a Jaiz Bank bond to secure the contract and received payment through Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited’s account registered with the Ministry of Works, the funds were not deployed to the projects.
“This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio,” Agbo stated.
The government said it has since reassigned the abandoned sites to new contractors to ensure completion of the Smart Green Schools before the 2025 school resumption.
Reiterating its position, the Enugu State Government urged Nigerians to disregard Ogundele’s public claims, 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 Suji Ogundele (Sujimoto),” the statement concluded.