By Obinna Uballa
The Enugu State government has accused Olasijibomi Ogundele, Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion in a contract to build 22 smart green schools.
The allegation follows the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to declare the Lagos-based real estate mogul wanted for alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.
In a notice signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC had urged anyone with useful information on Ogundele’s whereabouts to report to its offices or the nearest police station.
Reacting in an emotional video that went viral hours later, Ogundele denied the allegations, blaming the failed project on inflation and security challenges.
“I am not a thief and I am not a fugitive. This is a contract between me and the Enugu State government,” he said, adding that the deal also included a proposed 69-storey building, which would have been the tallest in Nigeria.
The entrepreneur claimed he mobilised 42 engineers to Enugu but faced soaring construction costs and attacks on his workers.
“When we took the contract, cement was N7,000 per bag, but later it was N10,000. Sometimes my staff were shot at in the villages. If I had money, I would have continued with the project,” he added.
Ogundele insisted he remained on-site until the dispute escalated into litigation. “Now they have declared me wanted. They have destroyed the company we have built. But I am going to the EFCC office to clear my name,” he added tearfully.
Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Malachy Agbo, dismissed Ogundele’s claims as “theatrics and crocodile tears,” accusing him of “premeditated fraud.”
Agbo said the government awarded the N11.4 billion contract on July 2, 2024, with a six-month completion deadline and paid N5.7 billion upfront to speed up delivery before September 2025 school resumption.
“Rather than deliver quality projects as specified, Mr Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and used quack engineers. None of his sites met structural integrity standards. Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money,” the commissioner alleged.
He added that Ogundele presented a Jaiz Bank bond to secure the deal but used a Zenith Bank account to receive payment, shielding Jaiz from liability.
According to Agbo, a joint inspection with EFCC operatives in May 2025 revealed “minimal to no significant work” at the sites, with some not even excavated. The projects have since been reassigned to new contractors.
“Nigerians should disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears,” Agbo said. “The government will recover every penny of Ndi Enugu obtained by Olasijibomi Ogundele.”
Recall that this is not the first time Ogundele would be walking the oath of controversy. In October 2024, he was detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja after being accused by human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi of obtaining $325,000 under false pretence from one Kabiru Ibrahim in 2020 for a non-existent property.
He was later released after interrogation.
