Olasijibomi Ogundele, a Lagos-based businessman, has reacted to the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to declare him wanted over alleged “diversion of funds and money laundering”.
Earlier on Friday, the anti-graft agency declared Ogundele, chief executive officer (CEO) of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, wanted in a notice signed by Dele Oyewale, spokesperson of EFCC.
In a video posted on social media, Ogundele, popularly known as Sujimoto, said he is neither a thief nor fugitive.
The CEO attributed his case with the anti-graft agency to a project involving his company and the Enugu state government.
“I’m not a thief and fugitive. This is a contract between my company and the Enugu state government,” he said.
“The Enugu state government asked me to help them build a couple of projects, which were 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 the tallest building in Nigeria — a 69-storey building.”
He said the Enugu government also asked his company to build some schools in the state and that amid the project, the cost of building materials kept escalating due to inflationary trend.
Ogundele added that while his company was executing the school project, the relationship between the firm and the state government turned sour.
In between sobs, the businessman lamented the state of the economy and how prices of building materials kept soaring.
“When we took the contract, a bag of cement was N7,000 per bag. At the time we left, cement was N10,000. I faced a lot of people. Sometimes in the villages, my staff were shot at. Some people would bring guns and shoot at them… I was still there,” he said.
“Things went sour between myself and the government. If I had money, I would have continued the project. But I had other projects.
“They (Enugu state government) took me to court. We told the court that we don’t want to fight with the government.
“We asked how much we owed the government. I was in agreement with them. Now, they have declared me wanted. They destroyed my company. I’m going to the EFCC office to clear my name.”
He added that the project was delayed for five years because “prices kept going crazy… the economy went south on me”.
