The Federal Government of Nigeria has denied allegations of compelling eminent Nigerians to defend the country’s case in an arbitration proceeding in Paris.
The denial was made in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), on January 18, 2025.
Several reports on Saturday claimed that former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari appeared before a court in Paris to testify in an arbitration proceeding involving a $6 billion dispute over the Mambilla power project contract.
FG’s Denial
- The presidency dismissed the reports as “fake news circulating on social media.”
- However, it confirmed that the Nigerian Government is a party to an ongoing arbitration proceeding in Paris.
- Bayo Onanuga clarified that the arbitration is a “private proceeding, which should not have been reported in the media as it remains entirely confidential until the international arbitrators reach a decision.”
- He further stated that, while respecting the confidentiality of the proceedings, the presidency categorically denies claims that “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forced anyone to testify for or against Nigeria.”
- Onanuga emphasized that all eminent Nigerians involved in Nigeria’s defence are doing so willingly, driven by patriotism and a commitment to the national interest.
He added that President Tinubu and the entire country remain deeply grateful to them for their selfless service.
Backstory
The arbitration case reportedly stems from an alleged breach of contract terms related to the Mambilla hydropower project awarded to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company of Nigeria by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.
The $6 billion project involves Leno Adesanya, the promoter of Sunrise Power, who has been entangled in multiple legal disputes with the Federal Government and its anti-graft agencies.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja recently stayed the execution of a Federal High Court judgment that had barred the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating Adesanya over criminal allegations linked to the project.
The appeal court delivered its verdict two months back, following an application for a stay of execution filed by the Attorney General of the Federation’s counsel, T.A. Gazali, SAN.
Previously, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court had ordered the EFCC to remove Leno Adesanya from its wanted list.
The judgment, delivered on Monday, September 23, 2024, was in response to a suit filed by Adesanya’s lawyer, M.S. Diri, SAN, against the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Power and Steel, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The EFCC had declared Adesanya wanted for “an alleged case of conspiracy and corrupt offer to public officers” linked to the Mambilla project.
What You Should Know
- The EFCC is prosecuting Olu Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, in separate court proceedings related to the Mambilla hydropower contract.
- The anti-graft agency alleges that Agunloye “corruptly received the sum of N3.6 million” through his Guaranty Trust Bank account (no. 0022530926) from Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and Leno Adesanya as part of the contract approval process.
