Again, Nigeria grapples with another corruption scandal as former Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, has been detained over an alleged N22bn fraud.

Mamman, who was once saddled with the responsibility of ensuring stable electricity in the country, was recently arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).



His arrest further affirms the seemingly innocuous yet utterly disturbing nature of corruption in the federal ministries. Mamman served as the Minister of Power from August 2019 to September 2021, when he was unceremoniously ousted from office by President Muhammadu Buhari. He was fired alongside Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu was immediately appointed to rescue the power ministry.


Mamman holds a higher national diploma in electrical electronics from Kaduna Polytechnic, graduating in 1988. He also holds an MBA in business administration from Bayero University Kano, graduating in 2015.


The Taraba-born public officer had been under the radar of the anti-graft agency since his removal. His arrest comes about 20 months after he was booted from office and a few weeks before the end of Buhari’s tenure.



Mamman was reportedly grilled by operatives at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja over the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.


In the past few weeks, the anti-graft agency has been investigating the alleged corruption in the execution of some power projects across the country, and Mamman has been fingered and alleged to have conspired with the staff of his former Ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects. They reportedly diverted N22 billion and shared it among themselves.



The power projects — Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric — have the potential to hugely enhance the nation’s power supply, but sadly, they have been hampered by policy inconsistency and administrative shortcomings.


Before Mamman’s sack, he had promised that the project would be completed by 2030 to add 1,525 megawatts of power to the installed generating capacity.


The Mambilla Power project comprises four dams and two underground powerhouses with 12 turbine generator units in total, and is expected to be the largest in the country, and one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in Africa upon completion. Based on its design, the hydroelectric facility is on the Dongo River near Baruf, in Kakara Village of Taraba State.


The 700-megawatt (MW) Zungeru hydropower plant is estimated to generate 2.64 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year, which will meet close to 10 percent of Nigeria’s total domestic energy needs. It is expected to provide power generation, flood protection, and water for mitigation.



These power projects have been too long in the making, suffering twists and turns and costing the taxpayer valuable money with no visible returns.  To this end, observers have expressed concern that there is no reason why the nation should not accord top priority to their completion.


The alleged diversion of the N22 billion meant to fund the project certainly triggers justifiable worry about the feasibility of attaining Nigeria’s power goals.



It may be said that Mamman enjoyed a priceless opportunity as power minister to resolve Nigeria’s electricity woes but his tenure was fraught with controversy and poor power supply. Internal crisis plagued agencies in the power sector culminating in the removal of the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Gur Mohammed, in May 2020 — a move that was reportedly frowned upon by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, and generated ripples among labor unions in the power sector.


And while power system collapse was quite frequent during Mamman’s tenure, controversies erupted over power tariff hikes forcing the government to dialogue with organized labor and reverse the tariff hike in some instances.


The biggest worry is the systemic nature of corruption in the Ministry of Power, as it has been established in several ministries across the country. It is like a terminal disease.


The alleged fund diversion has not only worsened issues, but the ripple effect is also that the deplorable power supply in the country will be further compounded.


Observers are also worried that amid constant media attention given to Mamman’s arrest, like previous arrests and trials, it may go poorly, and without the conviction of errant parties.