By Reuben Onyishi
(Ugoachataberu)
The Enugu opposition has been in the desperate search of a way to impugn the Mbah Adminiatration, get it harangued and run the gauntlet with a view to diminish its rising popularity before the people of Enugu State following its unprecedented strides and disruptive innovations brought to bear on governance. They had searched in vain, clutching at every available straw to bring the administration to disrepute before the people of Enugu State, who, on a daily basis, see every reason to glorify God for the gift of Peter Mbah. But in vain, their bangles cast, as we would read in Wole Soyinka's Abiku.
So, when the issue of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited and its CEO, Sijibomi Ogundele's, fraudulent diversion of smart schools funds came up, the mother hen and its chics went rejoicing, thinking the pot of corn had been topled. The said opposition saw it as an opportunity to cut its pound of flesh off Mbah and his administration. They had caught Mbah redhanded and would feast on it to a man. So, they taught and pursued it with mockery and sadistic inquisition.
You would hear such things as 22 smart schools given to a Yoruba man. Are there no more indiginous contractors? Procurement process and due diligence were not followed in the award of the contract. There were kickbacks. There was no proper supervision of the projects. Smart school is a scam. And all manner of narratives being woven around the Sujimoto brouhaha in order to get at Mbah and render the flagship project a failure, and, in their words, a scam.
It was an oppurtune moment to rubbish the Mbah Administration and present it in bad light before the people of Enugu State. He and his media team have made terrible noises about the smart schools and now the opportunity has presented itself for the Enugu opposition powered by Uche Nnaji, the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, to cast a cloak of doubt and uncertainty over the smart schools. If the kite would not swirl the chick off the ground, let it even cut it by the tail. That is the motivation, and every effort must be made to drive this message home to the people.
Indeed, the opposition is trying. They are pushing, and who knows they may push off Mbah's strides off the brinks of the people's memory only that one never can tell with Mbah, who, before you mention one project he has done, would do another. While we talk about the 265 smart schools, he is on 260 type 2 hospitals. He would fly from New Enugu Smart City to Hotel Presidential via Enugu Air to ICC, the 5-star hotel to Enugu International Hospital. While you say jack, he is off to UPPL, to Niger Gas, to Niger Steel, Sunrise Flour Mills through, this time, the interchange terminals and the CNG buses thereof. Alas! This Mbah is intractable. But what should the opposition do. If the hen leaves off kwo, how would it fend for its underlings. A ga na emenu. Unu ana anwukwa ngwo?
Now, looking at the total number of smart schools awarded to Sujimoto, it was 22, which is 8.4 per cent of the total number of smart schools. By implication, 91.6 per cent was awarded to Enugu contractors such as Ikeje Asogwa of Intasog, Surv. Ugo Chime of Testimony Enterprises, Chinedu Nwobodo of Albond Limited, Chief Charles Mbah of CDV Properties Development Limited and many others. Now, are we that tribalistic we have lost our senses to the the fact that such contractors like Arab Contractors, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Setraco Nigeria Limited, Cappa and D' Alberto Nig. Limited and others must come from Enugu State to get jobs done? Who reasons this way in the 21st Century. Or is the opposition so petty and cheap in its attempt to get at Mbah it must pursue rats?
Now, the said Sijibomi Ogundele, the CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited came crying on the internet, claiming the project was underpriced as the prices of building material had skyrocketed, giving instance with cement which had increased from N7000 to N10,000. Recall that the project sum used to be N376 million and the Enugu State Government had to rev it up to N523 million as occasioned by inflation. So, what is Ogundele talking about? Meanwhile, was it not the same sum that Ikeje, Asogwa, Ugo Chime, Chinedu Nwobodo and others who had completed the smart school awarded to them got? What magic did they do? Sujimoto was a case of deliberate fradulent diversion of funds. He was alleged to have diverted the funds to Banana Island in Lagos where he is raising some property.
Some were quick to hold that due process was not followed in the award of the contract. What due process are they taking about when the projects were duly advertised on the website of the Ministry of Works, Enugu State Government? The bidding process was followed and due diligence carried out. There was nothing in the public domain to show that Sujimoto and its promoters had antecedents of criminality and fraud.
The 50 per cent of the over N11 billion sum disbursed to Sujomoto, that is, N5.7 billion, was done in two tranches. The first was 20 per cent followed by another 30 per cent after he had generated the certificate of work done. The projects were at the DPC level when the 30 percent was disbursed, and he made away with it, apart from the fact that he did a shoddy job which the inspectorate team led by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidi Ebere Onyia, had raised a red flag to that effect.
Sujimoto raised Advanced Payment Guarantee (APG) from Jaz Bank. Expectedly, the money was supposed to be disbursed to Sujimoto account with Jaz Bank. He, however, diverted the funds to Sujimoto account with Zenith Bank with the intent to defraud the state government. As a matter of fact, the Mbah Administration was interested in getting the job done, given that the smart schools were billed to open in September 2025. So, it would welcome easy access to the funds that the job be executed. By implication, the Enugu State Government acted in good faith, while Sujimoto acted in bad faith.
The opposition in its cheap pursuit of caluminiation alleged there were kickbacks involving government officials, and that made it impossible for Sujimoto to executed the projects. Quite laughable! It is no longer that price of cement increased from N7000 to N10 000. Sujimoto is clutching at broken reeds. Assuming without conceding any kickback was given by Sujimoto or Sujibicycle, if you are so daft to give kickbacks to the extent it would obfuscate your execution of the projects, who is to blame? There was no kickback anywhere. He is clutching at the straw. It was a case of predertermined fraud. That is what it is.
Whoever thinks to pin the Mbah Administration down is losing labour. "Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crest, I bear a charmed life which must not yield to one of woman born," to quote Shakespeare. Ada achuna nwa enwe na nne mu ya n' enu. Mbah himself is due process and due dilligence personified.The fact that the Mbah Adminstration is sincere about pursuing the recovery of the funds from Sujimoto, making it public, goes to the heart of its honesty and integrity. So, let the Enugu opposition get busy and try something else. The good news is that come what come may, over 80 per cent of the smart schools are opening for admission of students on 22nd September, 2025. The few that would remain will join in record time as they are receiving finishing touches. So, you can see the smart green schools are a reality and not a scam. So, let the opposition try something else. This one failed on arrival.