A former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of spreading falsehoods about the Mambilla power project to obscure his own record.
Agunloye, who served as Minister of Power and Steel between 2002 and 2003 under Obasanjo’s administration, is currently facing a seven-count charge brought by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court. The charges relate to an alleged $6 billion fraud involving the Mambilla Hydroelectric plant.
In a statement released on Friday, Agunloye, now the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), alleged that the government is using him as a scapegoat to cover up systemic corruption and mismanagement of the project over the years.
“The government seeks to use me as a scapegoat to portray systemic corruption to the arbitration panel and undermine Sunrise’s claims. Challenges stem from personal conflicts between President Obasanjo and two of his associates: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, owner of Sunrise Power Company,” Agunloye said.
He accused Obasanjo of feigning ignorance about the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract during his presidency and later distorting the facts in judicial and public discussions.
“Obasanjo feigned ignorance of the BOT contract during his presidency and later distorted the facts in public and judicial settings,” he added.
Agunloye further highlighted how the dispute escalated under subsequent administrations. He pointed to a 2017 decision by then-Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola, who allegedly bypassed a 2012 agreement signed under President Goodluck Jonathan with Sunrise Power Company and awarded the contract to another company.
“The arbitration in France arose from actions taken by successive administrations, particularly under President Buhari. In 2017, then-Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola bypassed a 2012 agreement signed under President Goodluck Jonathan with Sunrise and awarded the contract to another company.
“Despite advice from the Chinese government to resolve the dispute amicably, the FGN failed to honor two settlement agreements, leading Sunrise to return to arbitration,” Agunloye explained.
He also accused the government of spreading misinformation and diverting attention from the actions of its officials and past administrations.
“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,” he said.
Agunloye has previously sought the intervention of the Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and other prominent personalities over the ongoing case.
