Ex-minister Imoke says Mambilla contract was invalid — Premium Times Nigeria
In a court in Abuja, Nigeria, former Minister of Power and Steel Liyel Imoke stated that the contract for the construction of the Mambilla hydropower plant did not receive approval from Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) and was therefore, in his view, invalid. Imoke appeared as the sixth prosecution witness in the case against former minister Olu Agunloye, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
Imoke’s testimony
Imoke replaced Agunloye as minister in July 2003. According to him, after an inquiry from Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL) regarding payment for the project, he reviewed the case materials and an extract from the FEC meeting minutes.
The witness stated that the FEC ordered the then minister’s memorandum to be withdrawn and requested additional proposals in order to consider investment options. During cross-examination, Imoke explained that he did not cancel the contract through a separate decision because he considered it invalid due to the lack of FEC approval. He also confirmed that he did not inform the FEC about the circumstances of the contract’s conclusion after becoming aware of them.
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Charges in the case
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought seven charges against Agunloye, including failure to comply with a presidential directive, conspiracy, document forgery, and receiving gratification. According to investigators, the case concerns a $6 billion contract awarded to SPTCL in May 2003 for the implementation of the Mambilla hydropower project.
The EFCC alleges that Agunloye, contrary to a directive issued during an FEC meeting in 2003, sent the company a letter claiming that the government had approved the construction of a 3,960 MW power plant. Investigators also accuse him of conspiring with Leno Adesanya and receiving more than 5 million naira from the company and Adesanya. Agunloye pleaded not guilty to all counts. The hearing was adjourned until November 2.
Contested energy project
The Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State has never been implemented. According to the outlet, an arbitration tribunal in Paris recently ruled in favor of Nigeria in its dispute with SPTCL, which accused the state of breaching the contract. The tribunal concluded that the awarding of the contract to the company had been tainted by bribery.
