Nigeria has secured a major legal victory after an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris ruled in its favour in a dispute involving Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.
The ruling was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by President Bola Tinubu and shared by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Sunrise Power had sought $680 million from Nigeria as a settlement, alongside interest, in connection with a separate arbitration claim seeking more than $2.7 billion over disputes surrounding the development of the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla project.
The statement said the tribunal rejected the claims brought by the company.
“An International Arbitration Tribunal under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, today, September 17, 2026, issued an award in favour of our country, rejecting the claims in the arbitration instituted by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Ltd (Sunrise),” the statement read.
Tinubu described the ruling as an affirmation of Nigeria’s position in defending its interests against what he called exploitative claims.
“This latest decision affirms the Nigerian State’s determination not to succumb to predatory and exploitative claims by corrupt local and international entities and their enablers and funders,” he said.
The President commended Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, as well as the Federal Ministry of Justice and Nigeria’s legal defence team for their roles in the case.
He also acknowledged the contributions of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Muhammadu Buhari, who testified during the proceedings.
Tinubu said the dispute dated back to a 2003 contract for the construction of a 3,050-megawatt hydroelectric plant in Taraba State under a build-operate-transfer arrangement, noting that the Federal Executive Council had not authorised the contract.
He further said the ICC decision had removed a major legal obstacle to the long-delayed project.
“Today’s ICC ruling clears the single biggest legal hurdle that has paralysed the Mambilla hydro power project for years,” Tinubu said.
