By Ali Elias
The Enugu State Government has accused the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
In a statement on Friday, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, alleged that Ogundele received half of the contract sum of N11.4 billion but failed to deliver on the project. Instead, the state claims, he executed substandard work at some sites and eventually abandoned the projects.
The contract, awarded on July 2, 2024, was part of Governor Peter Mbah’s flagship Smart Green Schools initiative, aimed at transforming education infrastructure in Enugu State. To fast-track progress, the government disbursed N5.7 billion — 50 per cent of the contract sum — to Sujimoto.
“But rather than play by the rules of the contract,” Agbo said, “Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and inexperienced workers. None of his sites met the structural integrity required. Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money.”
The government said Ogundele ignored repeated calls to project briefing sessions, refused to respond to official messages, and has since made himself unavailable to both state officials and law enforcement agencies.
A joint inspection by the Ministry of Works and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in May reportedly showed that most of the 22 project sites were left at foundation level, with little or no work done one year after the contract award.
The state also accused Ogundele of premeditated fraud, claiming that although he presented a bond from Jaiz Bank to secure the contract, he used his company’s Zenith Bank account to receive the money — a move that effectively insulated the issuing bank from liability.
In response, the government has reclaimed the project sites and re-awarded them to new contractors, assuring that the Smart Green Schools will still be delivered by September. “Nigerians should disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears,” Agbo said. “Enugu State Government is determined to recover every penny of Ndi Enugu fraudulently obtained by Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele.”
The statement was accompanied by photographs of abandoned sites, showing foundations and a few walls as evidence of little progress despite the huge sums already disbursed.
This case has raised fresh concerns about due diligence in public contracting. Many will ask: how does a state government release billions to a private firm without ensuring commensurate value at each stage? Beyond prosecuting one man, this scandal highlights the systemic loopholes that continue to make public funds vulnerable to abuse. If nothing changes in how contracts are vetted, monitored, and enforced, the story of Sujimoto may simply be another chapter in Nigeria’s long history of squandered opportunities.