Babatunde Fashola, minister of
power, works and housing, says the reports that the Mambilla power project has
been stalled, due to an attempt to divert funds, is not true.
The $5.8 billion project, a
3,050-megawatt hydropower facility, was conceived in 1982.
In a statement on Sunday, Hakeem
Bello, the minister’s spokesperson, said the federal government never awarded a
contract for the Mambilla power project to Sunrise Power and Transmission
Company Limited (SPTCL).
He described the claims made by
Leno Adesanya, chief executive officer of SPTCL, as fictional.
In a series of petition to
Fashola, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari, Adesanya had claimed
that the company was sidelined in the project by the ministry after it was
awarded the contract in 2003.
Adesanya had dragged the federal
government and its Chinese partners before the International Chamber of
Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France over an alleged breach of contract for the
project located in Taraba state.
However, Bello said available
evidence does not support Adesanya’s claims, adding that he is making a
desperate attempt to destabilize the project from coming to fruition.
“The attention of the Hon.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN has been drawn
to the spurious and unfounded allegations of Leno Adesanya with regards to the
ongoing Mambilla Power Project,” the statement read.
“Nothing is more further away
from the truth than the claim that the loan negotiations have stalled since
2017 because of an attempt to utilize $600 Million (equivalent of N219 Billion)
from the 3,050MW hydropower project for a “pet project” not hitherto considered
by the Federal Executive Council.
“There is currently no budgetary
provision or cash provision of $600 million or the N219 Billion in any budget
of the Federal Government for the Mambila Project. Therefore you cannot attempt
to divert what does not exist.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the
China Exim Bank disburse money to specific projects and on conclusion of
negotiations, the loan will be devoted to the construction of the Mambila Power
Project, which has been on the drawing board for close to 40 years before the
advent of the Buhari administration which is now working assiduously to get the
project off the ground.
“The antics of Leno Adesanya and
his ilk would readily explain why the project has taken so many years without
lift-off. Since Mr. Adesanya has chosen to go to court, he would be required to
prove his baseless allegation in court.
“The Federal Executive Council
which is the highest decision making organ of the Executive Arm of Government
never awarded a contract for the project to Mr Adesanya.
“The allegation with regard to
stalling the Mambilla project is untrue , baseless and a figment of Adesanya’s
imagination . The events and relevant facts will show that because Mr. Fashola
first presented a memo on the Mambilla Power Project to the Federal Executive
Council in August 2017; which was the first ever Federal Executive Council
approval given to the Mambilla project in favour of a Chinese Joint venture.”
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