The long-standing controversy surrounding Nigeria’s ambitious Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project has taken a dramatic turn, with former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, accusing former President Olusegun Obasanjo of spreading falsehoods to mask his role in the troubled project.
Agunloye, who served as minister between 2002 and 2003 during Obasanjo’s administration, is facing a seven-count charge by the Federal Government over alleged fraud involving the $6 billion Mambilla project. The charges, he claims, are an attempt to scapegoat him while shielding systemic failures and personal disputes within Nigeria’s leadership.
In a strongly worded statement released on Friday, Agunloye alleged that the federal government is using him as a “pawn” to deflect attention from decades of mismanagement involving multiple administrations. He also accused Obasanjo of deliberately distorting the facts around the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract for the project.
“The government seeks to use me as a scapegoat to portray systemic corruption to the arbitration panel and undermine Sunrise Power’s claims,” Agunloye said. He claimed his challenges were rooted in personal conflicts between Obasanjo and two of his close associates—former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, the owner of Sunrise Power Company.
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Agunloye’s allegations point to a broader history of leadership missteps. He accused Obasanjo of feigning ignorance about the BOT contract during his presidency and later manipulating facts in public and judicial forums.
The arbitration in France, where Sunrise Power is pursuing claims against the federal government, arose from actions taken by subsequent administrations, particularly under former President Muhammadu Buhari. In 2017, then-Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola, bypassed a 2012 agreement signed during President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure, awarding the project to another company.
Agunloye noted that despite the Chinese government advising an amicable resolution, the Nigerian government failed to honor two settlement agreements, forcing Sunrise Power to return to arbitration.
At the heart of this debacle is the stalled Mambilla Power Project, a 3,050 MW hydroelectric plant that has been heralded as a game-changer for Nigeria’s energy sector. Yet, two decades after its conception, the project remains mired in legal disputes, unfulfilled agreements, and political infighting.
Agunloye expressed frustration at being singled out, stating, “The government is spreading misinformation and using me as a pawn to divert attention from the actions of its own officials and four former presidents who handled the project over two decades.”
As of now, Obasanjo has not responded to Agunloye’s claims. However, the allegations have sparked renewed debates about the culture of blame-shifting and lack of accountability in Nigeria’s leadership.
