By Gabriel Ewepu 

ABUJA—A coalition of 

civil society organisations, CSOs, under the aegis of Global Gender Safety and Moral Development, GGSMD, yesterday, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the N11.45 billion contract awarded for the construction of 22 smart schools in Enugu State.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday,  Executive Director of GGSMD, Godwin Erheriene, said the coalition was concerned about the execution of the contract awarded to Sujimoto Luxury Construction Ltd, adding that allegations surrounding the project required urgent scrutiny.

He explained that the contract, valued at N11,457,930,950.52, was awarded by the Enugu State Government on July 2, 2024, with a six-month completion timeline. According to him, the government had already paid N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 percent of the contract sum, to fast-track delivery.

Erheriene said: “We have received reports suggesting that the project has not met agreed specifications, and that many of the sites remain incomplete despite the substantial mobilisation fee already released. This situation, if not properly investigated, risks putting hardworking indigenous contractors in bad light and may also affect Nigeria’s image internationally.”

He further noted that concerns had been raised over the quality of work, which, according to him, justified the coalition’s demand for a thorough probe.

The coalition also claimed that government efforts to address the situation had not yielded results, saying: “It is important for the EFCC and other relevant agencies to ascertain the true state of the projects and ensure transparency and accountability.”

Erheriene stressed that civil society has a duty to demand accountability on behalf of the public, particularly where large sums of taxpayers’ money were involved.

According to him, a joint inspection team from the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC reportedly visited the 22 project sites in May 2025, and observed that progress on many of them remained minimal nearly a year after the award of the contract.

He added: “We are, therefore, appealing to the EFCC to investigate these reports to safeguard the interest of the people of Enugu State.”