Former Nigerian power minister Liyel Imoke told an Abuja court that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had not approved a proposed $6 billion Mambilla contract, a central issue in a criminal case against his predecessor.
The Guardian and Nigerian Tribune reported that Imoke appeared Oct. 19 as the sixth prosecution witness at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo. The hearing concerns a 2003 proposal to award the project to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited for a hydroelectric plant in Taraba State.
According to the courtroom reports, Imoke said the FEC had directed Olu Agunloye to withdraw his contract memo and seek additional proposals. After Sunrise sought payment, Imoke said he reviewed ministry records and told the company the council had not approved the award. He also acknowledged that he did not return the matter to the FEC after reviewing the file.
The Nigerian Tribune quoted Imoke as saying, “I did not cancel the contract,” because he considered it void without FEC approval.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Agunloye faces seven counts concerning the proposed award. He has pleaded not guilty. The $6 billion figure describes the proposed contract, not a reported payment. Courtroom reports say proceedings are scheduled to resume Nov. 2.
A separate international arbitration concerns Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu said a tribunal of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris rejected Sunrise’s claims in an award announced Sept. 17. His statement listed a $680 million settlement claim including interest and separately described an arbitration claim exceeding $2.7 billion, also including interest; it did not specify whether the award resolved both matters.
The presidency said the original proposal had not received FEC authorization. Its statement described the original project as 3,050 megawatts and separately referred to a later 3,960-megawatt project.
