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.
PUNCH Online 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 innocent and ready to clear his name, explaining that the dispute arose from his contract with the 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 N11.46 billion to cover the construction of 22 Smart Schools. The government paid 50 per cent of the sum upfront to accelerate the projects, but the work was reportedly abandoned.
“The Enugu State Government paid N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum, to fast-track the projects at all the sites,” Agbo said.
The government alleged that Ogundele failed to meet contractual obligations, employing inexperienced workers and engineers while delivering substandard work.
“Rather than comply with the terms of the contract to deliver quality projects ahead of the September 2025 school resumption, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy workmanship and deployed inexperienced workers and quack engineers. None of his sites met the structural integrity specified in the structural drawings,” the statement said.
Efforts to engage Ogundele reportedly failed, as he ignored calls, messages, and invitations to project briefings. He also allegedly did not make himself available to law enforcement agencies during inspections.
“All attempts by the government to convene a roundtable to discuss the quality and progress of work were unsuccessful. He also refused to attend periodic project briefings and ignored numerous calls and messages, effectively abandoning the sites,” Agbo stated.
A joint inspection by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC on May 8-9, 2025, found “minimal to no significant work done at the sites one year after the contract award.” The report indicated that the sites had no excavation done, and that while Ogundele had presented a bond from Jaiz Bank, he received payment through Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited’s account without deploying the funds to the projects.
“This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state from the outset,” Agbo added.
The government said it has reassigned the sites to new contractors to ensure the Smart Green Schools initiative is completed ahead of the 2025 school resumption. Agbo also dismissed Ogundele’s public statements as “theatrics and crocodile tears,” assuring that the government is determined to recover every naira fraudulently obtained.
