Stakeholders in Enugu State, under the banner of Enugu Patriots, have called on the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Olasijibomi Suji Ogundele, to return funds allegedly misappropriated from the state’s Smart Schools Project.
In a statement issued on Monday by spokesperson Prof. Mathiine Anikwe, the group backed efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the state government to recover the ₦5.7 billion already disbursed to Sujimoto for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools out of a planned 260.
The group dismissed Sujimoto’s claim that it had spent ₦4 billion on the projects before the contract was terminated in February 2025, saying reports and site inspections indicated otherwise.
“Pictures and videos of the sites as of May 2025, along with the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure report, showed that Sujimoto could not have spent more than ₦600 million on all 22 sites before they were recovered by government,” the statement read.
The stakeholders also rejected Ogundele’s attempt to attribute the project’s failure to inflation and profit margins, pointing out that other contractors had successfully delivered their projects.
They further faulted his claim of receiving only ₦5.2 billion instead of ₦5.7 billion, describing it as an attempt to evade VAT and tax obligations.
Highlighting the state government’s heavy investment in education—with 30 percent of the 2024 budget and 33 percent of the 2025 budget allocated to the sector—the group said the Smart Schools initiative was a top priority of the Mbah administration.
“No one can blame the government for awarding the contract to Sujimoto, given its projects in Lagos. But having failed to show value for money here, we advise Ogundele to clean his crocodile tears and return the money to Ndi Enugu. Period,” the group stated.
