Sijibomi Ogundele, born in Agege, Lagos, in 1981, has become one of Nigeria’s most recognised real estate entrepreneurs.
He studied law at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom before starting his career as a property agent in France in 2011. Two years later, he founded Sujimoto Construction, the company that would come to define luxury living in Lagos.
Under his leadership, Sujimoto Holdings has grown into a luxury real estate powerhouse valued at over $600 million, with Ogundele celebrated as the visionary behind some of the most audacious structures on Nigeria’s skyline. The company has diversified into financial services, hospitality, agriculture, and technology, cementing his reputation as a serial entrepreneur.
The journey has not been without turbulence. In 2026, Ogundele disclosed that Sujimoto had repaid more than N40 billion to banks and private lenders after a period of costly borrowing, and he set a target of becoming debt-free by January 2027.
The same year, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared him wanted over allegations of money laundering and fund diversion, allegations he has denied and pledged to clear his name.
Ogundele remains a polarising but undeniable force in Nigerian business. Whether admired for his grit or scrutinised for his controversies, he has refused to be small, and his story continues to shape the conversation about ambition, risk, and reinvention in African real estate.
