On Wednesday, a Nigerian court jailed former Power Minister Saleh Mamman for 75 years after convicting him of misappropriating millions of dollars from hydroelectric projects.

Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said former Power Minister Saleh Mamman was found guilty of money laundering involving 33.8 billion naira ($24.6 million).

Mamman, who served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021, was sentenced in absentia to 75 years imprisonment by Federal High Court Justice James Omotosho in Abuja, the EFCC announced on X.

The conviction makes Mamman the first minister from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari widely admired for his anti-corruption stance to be jailed for graft.

Nigeria, Africa’s fourth-largest economy and largest oil producer, continues to grapple with severe electricity shortages caused by an ageing power grid and insufficient generation capacity.

According to the World Bank, more than 40 percent of Nigerians still have no access to grid electricity.

Several other senior officials who served under Buhari are currently facing trial for fraud, including a former Justice Minister, an ex-Central Bank Governor, and a former Labour Minister.