Sunrise had on October 10, 2017 taken Nigeria to arbitration for “breach of contract” in relation to the agreement to construct the 3,050MW plant in Mambilla, Taraba state.
Nigerian authorities insist that the contract award was irregular and did not pass through due process.
Agunloye issued a letter awarding the contract a day after the federal cabinet reportedly told him to step down his request for approval and explore other sources of funding for the project.
In his letter to Sunrise, Agunloye also listed pre-conditions for the contract to be consummated and none was met by the firm.
But Sunrise initiated legal action when a bid process for the civil works was announced by the federal government in 2007 and a series of litigation has since stalled the project.
To get the project off the ground, the federal government had attempted to settle the arbitration in 2020 with a compensation offer of $200 million but a lack of funds is believed to have truncated it.
