The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Minister of Power and Steel Development, Olu Agunloye, as ‘wanted’, in connection with an ongoing investigation into the stalled $6 billion Mambilla Hydro-power Project.
The Commission, on its verified Facebook page, urged Nigerians who know the whereabouts of Agunloye to report to the nearest police station, or inform the EFCC. It also gave his last known address as No. 20, Sold Boneh Way, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.
It urged anyone “with useful information as to his whereabouts” to contact its offices in Benin, Kaduna, Ibadan, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Ilorin, Enugu, Kane, Lagos, Gombe, Uyo, Port Harcourt and Abuja offices, as well through its telephone lines and email.
The public notice, signed by EFCC’s spokesperson, Oladele Oyewale, did not disclose details of the “corruption and forgery” allegations over which the former minister is being wanted. The EFCC had invited Agunloye for questioning over his role in the $6 billion Mambilla hydropower contract.
Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had accused Agunloye of mismanaging the power project during his tenure from 1999 to 2003 and failed to brief him on the state of the project.
In an interview, Obasanjo claimed that Agunloye fraudulently awarded the contract for the power project without the approval of the Federal Executive Council, (FEC). The former president challenged Agunloye to tell Nigerians where he derived the authority to award a $6 billion contract to Sunrise Power and Transmission Ltd. in respect of the project in 2003.
In his response, Agunloye said the nature of the initial contract for the Mambilla Power Project was awarded as a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) contract in May 2003 under his watch. According to him, the Government was not obliged to pay a kobo to Sunrise under the build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement as it was to be fully funded by the newly registered company, whose declared assets were worth less than $2,000 at the time.
Agunloye was, however, silent on where and how he got authorisation to commit the Government to a $6 billion project when, according to Obasanjo, ministers could not approve more than N25 million when he was president.
The EFCC quizzed the former minister over the controversy, and a suspicious payment with the description “FRM LENO”, that was reportedly traced to his bank account after he committed the Federal Government to the disputed contract awarded to Sunrise Power Ltd, promoted by one Leno Adesanya.
Sunrise explained that it was a “cultural payment” to support the former minister’s medical expenses. However, a further investigation by EFCC appeared to show that Agunloye spent the money on shopping and transportation around Orlando, Florida, in the United States, and not on medical expenses.
The discovery of the bank transfers was said to have triggered another investigation dating back to the 2000s. It was gathered that the EFCC discovered a number of transactions between Sunrise Power and government officials, which it considers “inappropriate” and could have a material impact on the arbitration.
