The Anambra State Government has released what it described as records of public debts allegedly left by former governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, when he left office in 2014.
The state government made its position known in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, titled “Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies.”
The statement was issued in response to recent comments by Obi concerning what he described as “Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy”.
According to the state government, Obi left behind liabilities involving external loans as well as unpaid pensions and gratuities.
It stated that Obi’s administration spent about $4.05 billion during his eight years in office and contracted $123.77 million in external debt.
“HE Peter Obi Spent about $4.05 billion in 8 years and also contracted US$123.77million in external debt alone which our government has so far paid billions of Naira in service payments,” the statement said.
The government said eight external loans obtained during Obi’s administration remained outstanding when he left office on March 17, 2014.
It added that records from the Debt Management Office, DMO, showed that the outstanding balance of the loans stood at N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026, based on the official exchange rate.
The state government acknowledged that the loans were obtained for projects covering areas including malaria control, erosion management, education and healthcare.
It said the current administration had continued to service the loans, describing them as debts associated with development projects.
The government, however, alleged that Obi left behind significant infrastructure and social service challenges, including inadequate water schemes, public schools and healthcare facilities.
It claimed that 44 percent of communities in the state, representing 78 out of 179 communities, did not have public primary schools at the time and alleged that public health facilities were also largely inadequate.
The statement further claimed that only about 27 percent of Anambra residents patronised public health institutions because of what it described as poor quality and limited functionality.
The state government said borrowing could be justified when funds are directed towards viable projects and human capital development, while insisting that the focus should be on how borrowed funds were utilised.
It also disputed Obi’s claim that all inherited arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities had been cleared before he left office.
According to the government, verified salary, gratuity and pension arrears owed to retired teachers and former staff of the Water Corporation remained outstanding.
However, it said it would not engage in the dispute between Obi and his predecessors over which administration was responsible for settling particular arrears.
The Anambra Government maintained that its disclosure was aimed at providing the public with its account of the state’s debt position and the liabilities it said had remained from previous administrations.
