Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president, has disclosed his motivation for testifying in the ongoing arbitration regarding the contentious $6 billion Mambilla Power Project in France.
In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES from Paris, Obasanjo said he offered to testify in order to refute “atrocious” allegations made by Olu Agunloye, the former Minister of Power, about the project’s contract award.
In Nigeria, Agunloye is on trial for alleged contract fraud.
Obasanjo made it clear that neither President Bola Tinubu nor any other government official had any influence over his decision to testify.
Rather, he sought to correct the record of the contract, which was given out in 2003 when he was in office. Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, which asserts it was given the contract to construct and run the Mambilla power plant, is suing the Nigerian government in arbitration.
The business is requesting $2.3 billion in damages for contract violations. Former President Muhammadu Buhari also testified in the arbitration, and Obasanjo’s testimony comes after his.
Nigeria may have to pay large damages if Sunrise Power’s claims are successful, which could have a big impact on the arbitration’s outcome.
“I volunteered myself to testify in this case. Nobody sent me to do so. President Tinubu did not ask me to do so as speculated. I didn’t speak to anybody on my intention to testify, he said.
“I decided to testify because of the statement made on the matter by Olu Agunloye. I considered his claims atrocious and thought it necessary to set the records straight.”
EFCC Case Against Olu Agunloye
According to court documents, the Nigerian government revealed how Leno Adesanya, the promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company, allegedly used women and money to entice ministers in the administration of former President Buhari in order to obtain favourable recommendations on the $6 billion Mambilla hydroelectric power project.
The Nigerian government disclosed the specifics in documents submitted to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Agunloye included Nigeria’s defence in the arbitration in a move on notice dated February 26, 2024, with the designation FCT/ABJ/CR/617/2023 under it.
According to the defence, Adesanya made repeated attempts to defraud the nation and steal substantial sums of money under false pretences.
The document stated, “Mr. Adesanya repeatedly sought to undermine Nigeria’s defence of this Arbitration by all means possible without regard to legality. As detailed below, Mr. Adesanya attempted to bribe the former Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, in the lead-up to the settlement meeting between Sunrise and Nigeria in London on 9 November 2019 by offering him money and women and sought to bribe the former Attorney General of Nigeria and Abubakar Malami, also with money and women, in order to take decisions favourable to Sunrise and influence Nigeria’s defence in this Arbitration.
“A look at the pictures of smiling young women whom Mr. Adesanya blithely offered to Mr. Adamu in November 2019 during the settlement discussions and latterly the Attorney General as inducements, can leave no doubt about Mr. Adesanya’s character.
“The below extract of Mr. Adesanya’s WhatsApp message to Mr. Malami with a picture of a woman in November 2021, when Mr. Adesanya was lobbying Nigeria is illustrative.”
Adesanya is a man “who fully understands” how to game and exploit the flaws in the Nigerian government’s institutions, according to the document from the Nigerian government.
The document said, “He wrongfully procures contracts that his companies are incapable of performing, colludes with key Government officials to obtain confidential Government documents, creates a semblance of credibility through document exchanges with Government officials, files claims against the Government, and then unlawfully seeks to pressure the Government to enter into settlement agreements with his companies in order to obtain a pay-out.”
A Federal High Court in Abuja denied former minister Agunloye’s request to seek medical treatment abroad in July 2024.
During Agunloye’s trial on alleged $6 billion fraud charges, the decision was rendered. FCT/HC/CR/617/22, the seven-count charge, claimed corruption, forgery, and disregard for a presidential order.
The former minister was specifically charged by the EFCC with granting Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited a contract for the development of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station on May 22, 2003, without the necessary financial support, clearances, or budgetary provisions.
Further accusations were made by the prosecution, who said they had discovered questionable transactions linking the former minister’s accounts to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.
The defendant responded to the allegations by entering a not guilty plea.
In his decision, Justice Onwuegbuzie found that the defendant had not shown enough proof to support his assertion that a Nigerian hospital was unable to treat his medical condition.
As a result, the judge denied the defendant’s request to travel abroad for medical reasons.
The EFCC changed Agunloye’s seven-count accusations in October 2024 and presented more evidence against him.
Obasanjo, the former president, had stated that he would be willing to testify in any forum on behalf of Nigeria on the contentious Mambilla power contract.
Obasanjo had asked Agunloye to defend his decision to unilaterally grant Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited a $6 billion contract, and offered the Nigerian public an explanation of his reasoning.