Federal Ministry of Power (Nigeria)

On May 7, 2026, Justice Omotosho delivered a landmark ruling convicting former Power Minister Saleh Mamman of diverting N33.8 billion allocated for Nigeria's critical Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric projects. The Federal Ministry of Power, established to oversee Nigeria's electricity infrastructure development, became the center of one of the Fourth Republic's largest infrastructure corruption scandals. Mamman, who served under President Buhari's administration, was found guilty of redirecting funds meant to boost Nigeria's power generation capacity through these major dam projects.

The Mambilla Hydroelectric Project in Taraba State and Zungeru Hydroelectric Project in Niger State represented Nigeria's most ambitious attempts to address chronic power shortages that have plagued the country for decades. Both projects, with combined potential to generate over 4,000 megawatts, were designed to significantly improve electricity supply across Nigeria. The Ministry of Power had received substantial budgetary allocations from 2019 onwards to advance these projects, but construction delays and cost overruns raised suspicions that led to the judicial investigation uncovering the systematic diversion of funds.