By Adetayo Omotoyosi Adeolu
The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Olasijibomi Ogundele, has reacted after he was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of diversion of funds and money laundering.
The EFCC had earlier today declared the entrepreneur wanted, calling on Nigerians with useful information to notify the agency.
However, hours after he was declared wanted, Sujimoto, as he is fondly called, has now broken his long silence on the issue. The wanted businessman addressed the issue in a viral video on the internet, denying involvement in fraud or being a fugitive. He said that the issue that made the EFCC declare him wanted involved the Enugu state government.
He noted that the governor of Enugu asked him to help build the tallest city in Nigeria, a 69-storey building, which he designed and delivered to the governor. The embattled entrepreneur revealed that after he delivered the design, the governor asked him to help build some schools, but he explained that the project is impossible to build because of the cost.
Sujimoto said the governor allayed his fears, asking him to build the schools even though there wouldn’t be an immediate financial gain. He noted that the governor assured him that he will make money from other projects he executes for the state government.
He added that he immediately mobilised over 42 engineers to the state and even had an accident during the encounter. He lamented that the contract suffered some setbacks because of the change in prices of cement and the attack on his staff.
Sujimoto, in a teary video, said, “They took me to court and I said we don’t want to fight with the government, let’s agree, how much are we owing the government?”
Sujimoto linked the setbacks of these projects to the high cost of materials, which has delayed them for years. He also lamented the manner he was declared wanted by the EFCC, promising to visit their office to clear his name.
