Sujimoto vs EFCC: Inside the ₦11bn Enugu Smart Schools Scandal Shaking Nigeria’s Business and Governance

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When luxury real estate mogul and Sujimoto CEO, Sijibomi Ogundele, popularly known as Sujimoto, appeared in a viral video tearfully defending his reputation, Nigerians were stunned. “I am not a thief. My greatest witness is the work I have done,” he declared after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted over the failed ₦11 billion Enugu Smart Schools project.

The project, designed to deliver 22 world-class Smart Schools across Enugu State at an estimated cost of ₦500 million each, was meant to transform the education sector. Instead, it has become one of the most controversial contracts in recent years, sparking outrage, debates over accountability, and renewed scrutiny of how public projects are awarded in Nigeria.

The Enugu Smart Schools project was announced in 2022, with the expectation that the entire project would be completed in just six months. Sujimoto, despite being a household name in luxury property development, admitted he had never executed a school construction project of such scale before. Critics argue that from the very beginning, the project was doomed by unrealistic timelines and a lack of due process. By 2023, questions about financing also began to emerge. Funds that were reportedly tied to a Jaiz Bank bond were said to have been rerouted through Zenith Bank, leaving doubts about whether the safeguards meant to protect the government were ever in place.

As deadlines slipped, anger mounted. By September 2024, most of the schools were still incomplete. Teachers, parents, and education advocates began to question why billions had been spent with little to show for it, especially as a new academic year loomed. By early 2025, the criticisms intensified, and comparisons were drawn with other failed contracts where entrepreneurs ended up behind EFCC bars. In September 2025, the inevitable happened—Sujimoto was declared wanted by the EFCC, and his emotional video response became a trending topic.

Reactions to the scandal have been sharply divided. Entrepreneur Ainà Dipo said the situation resonated with him because he had faced similar challenges with government projects and foreign trade deals. He advised Sujimoto to get his lawyers involved and to avoid stretching beyond reasonable limits in the future. But others were far less forgiving. Education advocate Alex Onyia slammed both Sujimoto and the state government, arguing that while the developer is worried about his reputation, the real victims are the children of Enugu who were supposed to resume school in September in the promised new facilities. He questioned the bidding process that handed such a massive project to someone with no prior experience in school construction, pointing out that there are competent local contractors who could have executed the job better.

Public policy analyst Akíntúndé Babátúndé also raised alarms about the bigger issues of governance and transparency. He noted that ₦11 billion for 22 schools means roughly ₦500 million per school, but without a publicly available breakdown, suspicions of inflated costs are inevitable. He also questioned why procurement safeguards were ignored, why bonds that were supposed to protect the state were bypassed, and why a contractor with a history of controversies—including a 2020 property deal scandal involving $325,000—was still considered eligible for such a sensitive and high-profile project.

The controversy is no longer just about whether Sujimoto is guilty or innocent. It has become a test case for Nigeria’s public contracting system, which is frequently criticized for rewarding connections rather than competence. It highlights how unrealistic timelines, opaque financial arrangements, and weak oversight often conspire to doom government projects before they even begin. Most importantly, it underscores the human cost of corruption and inefficiency, as thousands of children in Enugu remain without the schools that were supposed to give them a better future.

For now, Sujimoto insists his legacy of successful luxury developments proves his integrity and claims he is a victim of systemic failure rather than deliberate fraud. The EFCC, however, maintains that he must face the law. Whether this saga ends with accountability or simply fades away like many scandals before it remains to be seen. What is clear is that the ₦11 billion Smart Schools project has become a symbol of Nigeria’s struggle with governance, transparency, and the urgent need for reform in how public projects are conceived, awarded, and executed.