Nigeria has secured a major legal victory in its long-running dispute with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, after an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris dismissed key claims against the Federal Government.
The three-member tribunal issued its final award on Thursday, September 17, 2026, rejecting Sunrise Power’s claim that Nigeria breached its obligations under a settlement agreement and an addendum linked to the Mambilla dispute. It also dismissed the company’s demand for $400 million, comprising a $200 million settlement sum and a further $200 million default payment.
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The broader arbitration has involved a claim of about $2.35 billion, while reports on related proceedings have put Sunrise’s overall compensation and interest demands at more than $2.7 billion.
The tribunal further ruled that Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, is bound by the arbitration agreement with Nigeria and that it has jurisdiction over Nigeria’s counterclaim against Adesanya and his firm.
Sunrise Power and Adesanya were also ordered to reimburse Nigeria 75 per cent of its legal fees and expenses incurred during the proceedings, amounting to approximately $11.82 million. The tribunal separately apportioned the arbitration costs, which were fixed at about $1.66 million.
The dispute dates to a 2003 agreement concerning the development of the Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State, originally structured as a build-operate-transfer arrangement. The project was designed to generate thousands of megawatts of electricity and has remained stalled amid contractual, legal and financing disputes.
President Bola Tinubu welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant development that removes a major legal obstacle surrounding the project. The Presidency said the original 2003 agreement was not authorised by the Federal Executive Council.
Tinubu commended Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Nigeria’s legal team led by Elizabeth Oger-Gross and Tolu Obamuroh of Paul Hastings LLP.
He also acknowledged former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, as well as former ministers Babatunde Fashola and Suleiman Adamu, for their participation in the proceedings.
The latest award marks a major development in Nigeria’s prolonged legal battle over the Mambilla project and could remove a significant financial claim facing the Federal Government.

