Saturday, September 6, 2025 - The Enugu State Government has accused real estate mogul, Olasijibomi Ogundele aka Sujimoto, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion paid for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
Recall that on Friday, August 5, the EFCC had declared
Sujimoto wanted over his alleged involvement in a case of money laundering and
diversion of funds
Sujimoto then released a video in which he denied
claims of being a fraudster or a thief. Suji who couldn't hold back tears,
disclosed that his faceoff with the Enugu state government over a project is
behind the EFCC declaring him wanted.
In a statement released by its Commissioner for Information
and Communication, Malachy Agbo, the Enugu state government alleged that
Sujimoto disappeared after receiving N5.7 billion as 50 per cent mobilisation
fee for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the State.
According to the government, the contract, worth N11.4
billion, was awarded to Sujimoto on July 2, 2024, with a six-month completion
timeline but that instead of delivering the projects, Ogundele allegedly
resorted to “shoddy work, employed quack engineers and eventually abandoned all
sites without meeting any structural specifications.”
“Worse
still, he vanished into thin air with the money. He refused to honour periodic
project briefings, avoided calls and messages, and absconded from site
inspections,” the statement read
The government further alleged that Sujimoto presented a
performance bond from a Bank to secure the contract but used his company’s
account in a new generation bank to receive payments, thereby shielding the
Bank he initially provided from liability and betraying what officials
described as “a clear premeditated intent to defraud.”
The state government said a joint inspection by the Ministry
of Works and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 8 and
9, 2025, reportedly confirmed that most of the sites were abandoned at
foundation level, with a few at damp-proof course stage. The statement added
that following the findings, the government said it reassigned the projects to
new contractors who are working to meet the September 2025 deadline for the
Smart Schools initiative.
Agbo urged Nigerians to disregard Ogundele’s “theatrics,”
insisting that every kobo misappropriated would be recovered through the EFCC
and other legal channels.
“The Mbah
administration remains resolute in delivering Smart Green Schools to Ndi Enugu.
No amount of crocodile tears from Sujimoto will erase the fact that he
defrauded the people,” the commissioner stated.
The government also released pictures taken during the joint
inspection, showing the abandoned state of the project sites.
0 Comments