Agunloye’s trial: ‘Obasanjo didn’t approve Sunrise Contract for Mambilla Project’ — Witness
The third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, told the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, on Monday that neither former President Olusegun Obasanjo nor the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the award of the Mambilla Power Project contract to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.
Testifying before Justice J.O. Onwuegbuzie, Umar Babangida, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said that former President Obasanjo had clarified in a letter dated November 27, 2023, that no approval was granted to Agunloye to award the contract to Sunrise. The letter, addressed to the Attorney General of the Federation, was later certified by the Ministry of Justice.
Babangida said the former President confirmed in the letter that while he received a memorandum from the then Minister of Power and minuted for it to be presented before the FEC, he did not approve the award, and the Council also did not grant any such approval at its May 21, 2003 meeting.
The witness further stated that on February 7, 2024, the EFCC team met with Obasanjo, who reiterated his position in writing, asserting that Agunloye acted unilaterally and against a direct FEC order to withdraw the memo and allow for competitive bidding.
“In spite of this directive, on May 22, 2003, just 24 hours later, the then Minister awarded the contract to Sunrise Power without authorization,” Babangida told the court.
Agunloye is standing trial on a seven-count charge of official corruption and fraudulent contract award amounting to $6 billion. The charges were filed by the EFCC.
The witness also testified that financial investigations revealed suspicious payments to Agunloye from Shotire Jide Abiodun, a director in Sunrise Power and personal aide to the company’s owner, Leno Laitan Adesanya. These included transfers of ₦3.6 million on August 10, 2019, ₦500,000 on October 22, 2019, and ₦1.12 million on November 13, 2019, all traced to Agunloye’s Guaranty Trust Bank account.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Abba Muhammed, SAN, the witness maintained that the payments were part of ongoing investigations into financial inducements linked to the disputed contract.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case to June 18, 2025, for continuation of trial.
