Mambilla ruling protects Nigeria’s finances, opens new economic possibilities — TSF
Oru Leonard
The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF) has described Nigeria’s victory in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration over the Mambilla Hydropower Project as a significant development for the country’s finances, power sector and broader economic prospects.
The ICC tribunal rejected the claims brought by Sunrise Power against Nigeria, including the company’s $2.35 billion claim arising from the long-running dispute over the project. The tribunal also rejected a separate $400 million claim linked to a proposed settlement, bringing the total potential exposure addressed in the related proceedings to more than $3.38 billion.
In a statement by its Chairman Ahmad Sajoh and Secretary Danjuma Sada, TSF said the significance of the Mambilla ruling extends far beyond the courtroom.
It said: “For Nigeria’s economy, the decision represents the avoidance of a potentially substantial financial liability, the recovery of legal costs and, potentially, the removal of a long-standing legal obstacle to one of the country’s most ambitious power projects.
“The Mambilla project has for years represented one of Nigeria’s major untapped infrastructure and energy opportunities. Its prolonged legal dispute has been an additional obstacle around a project capable of contributing substantially to Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity.”
TSF noted that the ruling comes at a critical juncture in the Tinubu administration’s efforts to resolve long-standing structural and financial challenges in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
“The timing is particularly strategic as the Federal Government is currently implementing a structured plan to settle ₦3.3 trillion in verified legacy power-sector obligations,” it noted
Highlighting the scale of the victory, the Forum emphasized that the defeated Sunrise claim standing at $3.38 billion, exceeded the entire $2.3 billion legacy power-sector settlement program.
“Eliminating this major liability prevents a massive financial drain, giving the government the necessary fiscal headroom to address inherited obligations and focus on sustainable power sector reforms,” it said.
TSF said successful implementation of Mambilla would have implications far beyond increasing electricity generation. The expanded grid power supply would support the growth of manufacturing, mining, agriculture, technology and other productive sectors, while creating opportunities for new businesses, employment and investment across the economy.
According to TSF, the successful resolution of the arbitration also sends an important signal to international investors about Nigeria’s willingness and capacity to defend its economic interests through established international dispute-resolution mechanisms while maintaining contractual and legal discipline.
The Forum urged the Federal Government to build on the arbitration victory by accelerating the next phase of work on the Mambilla project, while maintaining transparency, commercial discipline and strong contractual safeguards.
knowledge and a greater deal of wisdom in knowing why developmental challenges in the African continent have attracted less global support, despite its enormous contributions to global affairs, coupled with its inexhaustible potential in raw materials for global industrial development.
“We also align with the President’s opposition to the continuous subjugation of Africa and Africans to the global power distribution template that was designed in 1945, precisely 81 years ago, because such a skewed and outdated template cannot respond adequately to the contemporary challenges that confront modern-day Africa.
” We acknowledge that Africa is politically, economically and socially disadvantaged due to its underrepresentation in the current world governance architecture, with consequential effects for socio-economic growth. This is why we believe that President Bola Tinubu’s advocacy for two permanent seats for Africa in the United Nations Security Council is a valid obligation which the current generation of African leaders owes the continent.”
The group added that the President had been consistent in his advocacy for the greater good of the African continent.
“It is also important to recall that President Tinubu has consistently utilised opportunities presented by every international forum to appeal for greater access to concessional financing, fair economic decision-making, and comprehensive debt relief for African nations by allowing for a balanced representation in global institutions, since he was elected Nigeria’s President in 2023.
“It is equally exciting to remember that at a recent Africa Forward Summit in Kenya, co-hosted by the French President Emmanuel Macron and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto, President Tinubu showcased his leadership of the continent when he committed to offering Nigeria’s deep blue project maritime intelligence infrastructure as a shared data hub for willing Gulf of Guinea States.
“Indeed, President Tinubu deserves our commendation for his advocacy on Africa’s quest for two permanent seats in the UN Security Council through subtle and strategic diplomacy, without prejudice to Nigeria’s bilateral obligations towards other countries.
“The imbalance in the Security Council against Africa should be a thing of concern to every well-meaning nation and citizen of the world. The plethora of socio-economic and political challenges that bedevilled Africa can only be brought into proper focus and perspective for a lasting solution if the continent is accorded two permanent memberships, as advocated by President Tinubu.
“Contrary to insinuations by the opposition on the absence of the President at UNGA, he has shown that the presence or absence of a leader does not diminish or jeopardise a nation’s chance to present its case to the world,” it said.
