“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Sujimoto to Petition and Sue Over $556K Fraud Smear — ‘Delay Is Not Deceit.”

— Accuses Detractors of False and Malicious Publications

“There is no fraud, nor any falsehood. What exists is a delay and nothing more. Yet from this delay, some have chosen to fabricate lies, weaponize rumors, and maliciously mislead the public. Let it be clear: those responsible for instigating and spreading these defamatory claims will be held fully accountable, legally, morally, and shall pay for every damage they have caused.”

When an entrepreneur dares to build what has never been done before, he must first make peace with the storms that come to test his conviction. But to mistake delay for deceit is not only false — it is dangerous to truth itself. For twelve unbroken years, Sujimoto has chosen the harder path: rejecting shortcuts, defying cynicism, and building brick by brick through sleepless nights, sacrifice, and an unyielding faith that Africa deserves architecture that inspires.

The Leonardo by Sujimoto remains one of the continent’s most daring and technically sophisticated luxury developments. Ambition that vast cannot be rushed; its clock is governed not only by concrete and cranes, but by bureaucracy, tedious approvals, and an economy that shifts and strains with every policy change. No one was duped. No one was misled. Our client acted in good faith, approvals were secured last year, and though the project slowed, it was never denied, abandoned, or defrauded.

Unfortunately, some of our most honest and hard-working customers have requested refunds. Some have been patient, while others have been aggressive — and we have honored them all.

We have never compromised. We have faced countless challenges, yet our commitment to integrity remains absolute. Beyond fulfilling contracts, we have helped our customers maximize profits through off-take agreements. Take Giuliano, for example: the first buyer purchased at ₦285 million. Today, less than six years later, the project is worth ₦2.5 billion. Rent now commands ₦100 million; it is fully booked and fully sold out.

When cement skyrocketed from ₦2,000 to ₦10,000, who absorbs the cost? We do. The buyer does not want to hear this, yet it is reality. During construction, steel surged from ₦500,000 to ₦1.3 million, and we did not compromise. A single 40-foot container costs ₦4 million and later ₦24 million. Still, we refused shortcuts. Every brick, every beam, every detail has been delivered with integrity, despite the market’s relentless squeeze.

Every investor has been engaged directly, and those requesting refunds are being settled through a transparent, structured, and verifiable process. Meanwhile, the Lucrezia — once slowed by the same economic headwinds that rattled an entire industry — now stands on the brink of completion, set for delivery in December 2025, with every fully paid homeowner poised to receive their keys.

It is deeply concerning that public institutions are now being misused to settle civil disputes and punish enterprises. What should have remained a private contractual matter has been paraded as a crime, turning law enforcement into debt collectors. Sujimoto is pursuing firm legal redress against those behind these malicious falsehoods, and those responsible shall pay for the damages they have caused.

Sujimoto is not merely a company; it is a creed — a fellowship of architects, artisans, and engineers bound by a shared pursuit of excellence. We have empowered thousands, paid over ₦7 billion in wages in the past 12 years, and built monuments that speak where falsehood falls silent.

In a nation where haste is mistaken for progress and ambition for arrogance, it has become easy to weaponize delay. Yet progress, like justice, is slow only to those who lack patience. Our only “crime” is daring to dream beyond the comfort zone of ordinary builders — and for that, we shall never apologise.

Some may not like Sujimoto — his relentless ambition, his boldness, his refusal to follow the ordinary. Some may call him loud, too forward, even audacious. Yet no one can deny his work. His projects speak for themselves — unmatched in vision, execution, and impact. To question the man is human; to question the monument he builds is impossible.

Sujimoto does not build for applause. We build for permanence. And when The Leonardo finally rises — not if, but when — it will stand as a monument to truth: proof that audacious vision outlives the noise, and that gold is forged only through fire.

Dr. Sijibomi Ogundele is the Group Managing Director of Sujimoto Holdings, the Czar of Luxury Real Estate Development, and the mastermind developer behind the renowned Giuliano. Our other audacious projects, such as the most sophisticated building in Banana Island, LucreziaBySujimoto, the grandiose Sujimoto Twin Tower, the tallest twin towers in Africa; the regal Queen Amina by Sujimoto, a monument to royal affluence; the magnificent high-rise LeonardoBySujimoto; the Sujimoto Farm; an advanced farm estate system that incorporates housing, farm hospitals, hotels, and markets within an ecosystem, creating opportunities for agro-tourism and affordable housing., among other projects that have etched an indelible imprint on Nigeria’s skylines, a testament to Sujimoto’s unrivalled mastery of modern-day engineering.

Crisis on Multiple Fronts: Reuters & World Bank Expose Nigeria’s Humanitarian and Economic Collapse. 

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | SaharaWeeklyNG.com

 “Record hunger. Surging inflation. A nation on the edge.”

In Nigeria today, the line between economic distress and humanitarian catastrophe is vanishing. Reports from Reuters and the World Bank paint a dire Tableau which millions are teetering on the brink, besieged by food insecurity, inflation, fiscal strain and systemic fragility. This is not a distant crisis; but the lived reality for many Nigerians.

Humanitarian Alarm Bells: Hunger, Displacement and Aid Droughts.

The United Nations now warns that nearly 31 million Nigerians are experiencing acute food insecurity, an ominous figure equivalent to the population of a MEDIUM-SIZED COUNTRY. This is not due to lack of need; but to a catastrophic shortfall in humanitarian funding. The World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded the alarm that cuts in aid will force over 1.3 million Nigerians to lose essential food support.

In northeastern Nigeria (a conflict-scarred zone already battered by insurgency) over 150 nutrition clinics are at risk of closure, placing 300,000 children at danger of severe malnutrition, while 700,000 displaced persons could be left without vital support. These are not abstractions; they are children whose next meal is uncertain, mothers watching their infants fade, families torn from their lands. The humanitarian safety net has holes wide enough to swallow entire communities.

Memory of past disasters haunts the present. In 2024, raging floods displaced millions, destroyed crops and worsened nutrition deficits; especially among subsistence farmers. In conflict zones, the devastation multiplies: fields lie fallow, trade routes shut and supply chains collapse.

One recent empirical study in Benue State confirms a grim truth, insecurity reduces agricultural output directly. The researchers found that even a modest rise in insecurity correlates with a 0.211% drop in crop yields and 0.311% drop in livestock output. In other words, violence is not a side effect but a contributor.

Amid this dearth of aid, the USAID decision to slash support in northeastern Nigeria amounts to a lifeline being yanked away. Over 90% of key foreign aid contracts were terminated, pushing relief opera­tions to the brink. In Dikwa and other displaced persons sites, malnutrition and mortality climb while humanitarian actors pull back.

Economic Realities: Growth with Broken Bones.

In the economic realm, the World Bank and Reuters both register a paradox whereby Nigeria’s GDP is showing signs of recovery, yet the masses are sinking further.

According to Reuters, the Nigerian economy posted its fastest growth in a decade during 2024, with a 4.6% expansion in the final quarter. The Bank projects a more tempered 3.6% growth in 2025. Yet this growth is brittle. Inflation remains entrenched (especially in food prices) and the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians continues to erode. The World Bank describes inflation as a “BURDEN,” warning that lower oil prices are offset by rising costs of imports.

The Nigerian fiscal deficit is projected at 2.6% of GDP in 2025, nearly unchanged from 2024, while public debt (once a pressing risk) may decline slightly from 42.9% to 39.8% of GDP. Mathew Verghis, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, said that while government steps to stabilize the economy are beginning to pay dividends, the relief has yet to reach the most vulnerable.

Still, the structural contradictions are stark. Economic gains are tilted toward sectors like finance, ICT and transport, with limited spin-off into jobs and livelihoods. As the World Bank notes, employment alone is not enough, what matters are productive jobs.

Reuters furthermore reports that Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Wale Edun, has publicly admitted that the country must double its growth rate in the next year or two to plausibly reduce poverty. That is no small ask, yet the stakes could not be higher.

The Human Cost Behind the Numbers.

Between 2018/19 and 2024, an estimated 45 million additional Nigerians slipped into poverty, bringing the share of Nigerians below the poverty line to roughly 47%. In rural areas, poverty is pervasive; over three in four rural dwellers now live in poverty, while in urban centers more than two in five do so. Meanwhile, food inflation continues to ravage the poor. Poor households (whose limited budgets allocate up to 70% toward food) bear the brunt. The Jollof Index, a clever food-price tracker in Nigeria, spotlights how basic meals have become prohibitively expensive such as rice, tomatoes, onions, protein and oil prices have all surged in ways that outpace general inflation.

As Reuters captured, even with improving macroeconomic indicators, high food prices remain a heavy burden on vulnerable Nigerians. Now add to that regional inequality, insecurity and dysfunctional social programs and what you have is a perfect storm.

Structural Fault Lines: Why Growth Failed the Poor.

1. Weak revenue mobilization & fiscal misalignment.

Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio hovers near 10.9%, placing it far behind peer African economies like South Africa or Rwanda. While new tax reforms (e.g. higher VAT) are floating in policy circles, they face resistance and especially from states wary of federal revenue allocations.

Government spending is misaligned, sectors most essential to human development (Education, Health, Agriculture) are underfunded. Security claims a large slice of the budget, while agriculture and social infrastructure receive paltry allocations.

2. Ineffective social protection.

The World Bank repeatedly calls attention to the need to protect the poor and economically insecure by strengthening social protection frameworks. Yet implementation is weak-poor targeting, late payments, leakages and insufficient scale mean many fall through the cracks.

3. Insecurity & climate risk.

Insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder conflict and environmental degradation strike hardest in Nigeria’s least resilient states. The loss in agricultural output, displacement of farming households and fracturing of supply chains all deepen humanitarian hardships.

4. Uneven growth.

Growth has failed to be inclusive. Gains cluster in urban, capital-intensive sectors. Rural areas, especially in the North and Northeast, see scant trickle-down. The divide between those benefiting and those excluded grows wider each year.

5. Dependence on oil & external shocks.

Despite being oil-rich, Nigeria’s overdependence on hydrocarbon exports makes it vulnerable to swings in global prices. When oil dips, the budget suffers; when oil rises, windfalls often misallocated. External shocks (like global inflation, currency swings or climate events) transmit pain to ordinary Nigerians.

Voices of Wake-Up Calls.

Economist Justin Yifu Lin has long argued that “inclusive growth is the key to poverty reduction.” Growth that excludes the common citizen is hollow growth. Meanwhile, Amartya Sen’s theory of capability expansion echoes here: for citizens to rise, policy must invest in education, health and social infrastructure; not just GDP.

In Nigeria’s context, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has repeatedly warned that currency stability, inflation control and domestic production are pillars without which reforms collapse.

And as George Omagbemi Sylvester has said: “You cannot borrow your way out of poverty. You must produce your way to prosperity.”

That maxim must guide Nigeria now more than ever. Borrowing to placate deficits is SELF-DELUSION if it does not seed productive industries or jobs.

The Bottom Line.

Nigeria now faces a dual calamity: its humanitarian fabric is fraying while its economic underpinnings wobble. Reports from Reuters and the World Bank confirm that despite apparent growth, millions suffer hunger, malnutrition and deprivation.

To salvage the future, Nigeria must bridge the gap between macro gains and human gains:

Scale up social protection for the most vulnerable with precision and integrity.

Mobilize domestic revenue, reduce leakages and reallocate spending toward education, health, agriculture and infrastructure.

Promote agricultural resiliency, support farmers in conflict zones, and shore up climate adaptation.

Incentivize productive investments and industries that create jobs, rather than depending on imports or debt.

Restore security and governance in fragile regions so development can take root.

The alternative is bleak, a nation producing numbers of growth on paper, but producing despair in the hearts of millions.

Let the reports from Reuters and the World Bank serve not as ominous forecasts but as urgent clarion calls. Nigeria’s moment is now; or the suffering deepens.

FESTAC Demolition: Engineer Cries Out as FHA Destroys ₦500m Property

By Ifeoma Ikem 

A civil engineer, Mr. McDonald Ejiofor, has lamented the demolition of his ₦500 million property by officials of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) at 6th Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos, describing the incident as the total destruction of years of labour and dreams.

Ejiofor, 48, alleged that officials of the FHA, accompanied by policemen attached to the Lagos State Taskforce and some hired thugs, stormed his residence at Plot 1892, Route 65, Caravan Estate, on Saturday, October 11, 2025, and began pulling down his structure while his family was still inside.

He said he legally acquired the land from the Kuje family in 2016, following a Federal High Court judgment that, according to him, granted ownership of the disputed area to the family.

According to Ejiofor, trouble started after he moved into the property nine months ago, following a claim by a lawyer (name withheld) that the same plot had been allotted to him by the FHA.

“The same month we moved in, my painter called me that one Barrister Ferdinand Obiora came with some hoodlums, vandalized my gate, arrested my workers, and took them to FESTAC Police Station,” he recounted. “I was later informed by the police that a man claimed to be the main allottee of the land from FHA. I had to consult my lawyer, who secured the release of my workers since I was not in Lagos then.”

Ejiofor said the FHA later pasted a demolition notice on his property. “I sent the notice to the lawyer representing the Kuje family, because the case is still in court,” he explained.

“The Federal High Court had given judgment in favour of the family in 2016, but FHA appealed. The case is presently before the Lagos State High Court, which ordered all parties to maintain the status quo until judgment is delivered.”

He expressed shock that despite the pending case, the FHA went ahead with the demolition. “On Saturday morning, while I was out playing football, I got several missed calls. When I returned the calls, my neighbours told me to rush home because FHA officials were demolishing my building,” he said.

“Before I got there, they had already brought down the fence and cut my building into two. My wife was still inside when they started. People were shouting, telling them someone was inside, but they didn’t listen. My furniture, electronics, machines, documents, certificates, passport, and clothes were all buried under the debris.”

Ejiofor further alleged that when he and his family tried to salvage their belongings the next day, security personnel descended on them. “Over 30 policemen in six Hilux vans stormed the site.

They beat me, my wife, and my brother, threw us into a Black Maria, and took us to the Taskforce cell in Oshodi. They later forced me to sign an undertaking not to return to the property,” he claimed.

When Vanguard visited 6th Avenue on Tuesday, more than 15 structures had already been demolished, leaving residents and traders in shock. The demolition was still ongoing as bulldozers pulled down buildings while traders displayed their goods beside the wreckage.

A Lagos State government-branded bulldozer was also seen at the site. Officials were pointing out more structures marked for demolition. Some residents alleged that the exercise was selective, claiming that while some properties were spared, others—mostly privately developed—were deliberately targeted.

A resident of FESTAC Town and former Commissioner for Information in Anambra State, Mr. Paul Nwosu, described the demolition as unfair and lacking in human consideration.

He said many of the affected traders were not issued prior notices.

“I was passing here on Saturday when I saw them destroying shops. I was told it was for encroachment,” he said.

“But if you look closely, you’ll see the gutter and a clear setback. These buildings are in alignment with others. How then did they encroach?”

He added: “Even if they didn’t have permits, they could have been asked to regularize. Destroying people’s means of livelihood without notice is wicked. These are investments—people’s sweat and life savings.”

Reacting to allegations of brutality, the Lagos State Taskforce dismissed claims that its officers unjustly arrested Ejiofor’s family members or other residents.

In a viral video, a woman identified as “Oneway” accused the Taskforce of unlawfully detaining her husband and others during the demolition. However, the agency said those arrested were caught attacking officials with stones and dangerous weapons in an attempt to obstruct the lawful demolition of structures encroaching on FHA land.

It alleged that the woman’s husband had initially tried to bribe the demolition team to halt the exercise but turned violent when his offer was rejected.

Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, condemned the attack and warned that obstructing law enforcement officers from carrying out their duties constitutes a criminal offence.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has denied involvement in the demolition exercise.

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, stated that the state government was not part of the operation and that all demolitions carried out in the state follow due process, including notices and stakeholder engagement.

He emphasized that all agencies, including federal ones, must seek clearance from the Ministry before conducting any demolition. “We want to assure residents that the Lagos State Government remains committed to fairness, due process, and the protection of property rights. Any demolition carried out without proper authorization does not represent the position of this administration,” Olumide said.

Efforts to reach officials of the Federal Housing Authority were unsuccessful. However, some of its concessionaires, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that most of the demolished properties were not acquired through the FHA and challenged the affected persons to produce their documents.