The $200 million settlement in the Mambilla hydropower dispute is at the centre of renewed controversy, with former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami defending the payment as being in Nigeria’s interest while critics frame it as a trick played on then-President Muhammadu Buhari. The ICC tribunal held that the 2020 settlement between Sunrise Power and the Federal Government was a product of corruption from which Malami was to benefit. Malami denies this, insisting he acted in good faith and for the country, not for personal gain.
Podium Reporters reported that the dispute centres on Sunrise Power and the federal government over the Mambilla hydropower project. The ICC tribunal’s findings put the 2020 settlement under scrutiny, alleging corruption and linking the deal to Malami. Podium Reporters reported that Malami’s response followed the tribunal’s conclusion that the settlement was tainted by corruption.
But the former AGF rejected the finding, insisting that he acted in the country’s interest. He maintained that the $200 million considered as settlement payment was not for personal gain but was meant to serve Nigeria’s interest in the long-running arbitration. According to him, the decision was taken in good faith to protect Nigeria’s legal and financial position. Malami said his role as the chief law officer was guided by national interest, not corruption.
Podium Reporters noted that the tribunal’s resolutions have renewed attention on the Mambilla project and the circumstances of the settlement. Sunrise Power had been in dispute with the federal government over the project, and the 2020 settlement was intended to resolve the claims. The tribunal, however, held that the settlement was corrupt and that the former AGF was to benefit from it.
Malami’s defence comes amid continuing debate over the settlement and the arbitration. He insisted that the $200 million settlement was in Nigeria’s interest. The former AGF’s reaction highlights the controversy over the Mambilla dispute and its legal and financial implications for Nigeria. The report does not detail the alleged trick on Buhari; that framing rests on the corruption finding and Malami’s role in the settlement.