Ex Nigerian Prime Minsiter Saleh Mamman has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for laundering 33.8bn naira ($24.7m), after being found guilty of 12 counts, including using private firms to funnel money linked to government-funded power plants.
The 68-year-old who was power minister from 2015 to 2021 was sentenced in absentia to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During Mamman’s sentencing on Wednesday, the high court ordered him to repay 22bn naira ($16m; £12m).
Weeks before he was sentenced, the former minister had announced plans to run for Taraba State governor in the 2027 elections, on behalf of Nigeria’s ruling party.
“Today marks a defining moment in my journey of service to our dear state. With a deep sense of responsibility and unwavering commitment, I have officially obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest for the governorship of Taraba State,” he wrote on social media.
Mamman led the ministry of power at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had promised to tackle corruption but was sacked by Buhari in a cabinet reshuffle, after what the president called an “independent and critical self-review”.
Other high-profile investigations by the EFCC have involved former Justice Minister Abubakar Malami and former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq, who was recently declared wanted by the agency. They have both denied the allegations.
Mamman’s conviction has reignited public anger over Nigeria’s long-running electricity crisis – especially as the former minister had promised he would improve matters.
Corruption in Nigeria is a widespread and deeply embedded challenge, affecting public administration, the judiciary, and the energy sector, largely driven by patronage networks and the “resource curse”.
Nigeria faces critical political challenges and this is primarily rooted in weak governance, pervasive corruption, and severe security crises. Key issues include a failure of leadership to tackle insecurity, legislative failures to hold officials accountable, and a deepening trust deficit in democratic processes. This has resulted into Federal and state legislatures failing to hold executives accountable for worsening insecurity, while inadequate institutional capacity hampers policy implementation.
