The Enugu State Government has accused the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Olasijibomi Ogundele, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools.
In a statement on Friday, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, alleged that Ogundele abandoned the projects after collecting 50 percent of the contract sum.
He was accused of presenting a Jaiz Bank bond to secure the deal but diverting the payment into a Zenith Bank account, making it impossible to hold the bank liable.
According to Agbo, the contract, valued at N11.4 billion, was awarded in July 2024 with an agreed six-month delivery timeline. However, site inspections conducted by the government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in May 2025 revealed that most of the projects remained at foundation level or incomplete blockwork.
The government described Ogundele’s work as “shoddy,” claiming he engaged inexperienced workers and quack engineers, before disappearing and avoiding all efforts to reach him.
“Rather than deliver on the Smart Schools initiative ahead of September 2025 resumption, he vanished into thin air with Ndi Enugu’s money. Nigerians should disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears,” the statement read.
The state government disclosed that the sites have since been reassigned to new contractors, with work restarted to ensure the Smart Green Schools initiative remains on schedule.
