The Nation

VIDEO: Buhari returns to Nigeria after testifying in Mambilla arbitration case in France

January 24, 2025 8:02 pm

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria after testifying in arbitration proceedings filed against Nigeria by Sunrise Power at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France.

In a video shared on Friday by Bashir Ahmad, his former aide, Buhari is seen disembarking from an aircraft upon his return from Paris.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria after defending the country before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris in connection with the $2.3 billion arbitration case filed by Sunrise Power. pic.twitter.com/WgDxJ8mKpt

— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) January 24, 2025

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Sunrise Power initiated arbitration proceedings against the federal government over an alleged breach of contract related to the controversial Mambilla hydropower project.

TheCable reported that former President Muhammadu Buhari was scheduled to testify during the arbitration proceedings in Paris, which began on Monday.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also travelled to France to provide his testimony in the case.

Ahead of the proceedings, reports circulating on social media claimed that Buhari was forced to testify in a Paris court regarding the $6 billion power contract dispute.

In response to these claims, the presidency clarified that no one was compelled to testify in the case.

THE MAMBILLA POWER PROJECT SAGA

Sunrise had, on October 10, 2017, started arbitration against Nigeria at the tribunal, seeking a $2.354 billion award for “breach of contract” in relation to a 2003 agreement to construct the 3,050MW plant in Mambilla, Taraba state, on a “build, operate, and transfer” basis valued at $6 billion.

In the second arbitration case, the company is asking for a $400 million settlement over the alleged failure of the Nigerian government to honour the settlement agreement both parties entered into in 2020 to end the arbitration.

Obasanjo had also denied authorising Olu Agunloye, former minister of power and steel, to commit Nigeria to the $6 billion power contract.

In February 2024, Buhari said he never authorised any settlement agreement with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited on the Mambilla hydroelectric power project.