Real estate mogul, Olasijibomi Ogundele, aka Sujimoto, has responded after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC declared him wanted over alleged “diversion of funds and money laundering”.
The anti-graft agency today September 5, declared him wanted in a notice published on Friday and signed by its public relations officer, Dele Oyewale.
Reacting to the declaration, Sujimoto in a video released on Friday, claimed he was declared wanted over his clash with the Enugu state government over a particular project.
‘’I am not a thief and I am not a fugitive. This is a contract between my company and the Enugu state government.
Enugu state government asked me to help them build couple of projects which was very interesting. I was going to the state every week.
In the middle of the project, the governor said he wanted to build a city and he wanted to build the tallest building in Nigeria. I designed it and gave it to him. He said okay, keep it aside.
He said while you are waiting for this, please help me do these schools, that we have money but we do not have people that can do it.
I had never done these types of schools before but I knew it was cement and concrete and machine. I knew it was arrangement and I said let me give it a try.
I told the Governor, I said ‘This project is impossible because of the price of the cost of it because it is too low to build’. The governor said do not worry, just help me do these schools and later , you wouldn’t make more from the schools but you will make money from the other projects which I was very happy with.
I mobilised 42 engineers to the state. I took a house in the state. I went to the state. The contract got frustrated. At every point, I knew it was difficult to do it because of the pricing. Now, when we took the contract cement was N7000. By the time we left, cement was N10, 000. I faced a lot of people. At times we were in the villages, my staffs are being shot at.
At the end of the day, things went sour between myself and the government. If I had money I would have continued the project but I had my other projects. I had stress on my other projects that I wanted to do. They took me to court and I said let’s look at the entire project. I presented my books. They took us to court and we told them we do not want to fight with the government. Let’s agree, how much do we owe you?
Now they declared me wanted, they destroyed my company that I built… I am going to the EFCC office, to clear my name, In the last five years prices have gone crazy, something I could have done in two years was delayed..”
