Anambra Govt Fires Back at Obi Over Arise TV Interview, Alleges Concealed World Bank Loans and Untraceable Ecological Fund
By Metro NG
The Anambra State Government has issued a fresh, detailed rebuttal to Peter Obi following his September 24 appearance on Arise TV, accusing the NDC presidential candidate of dodging questions about his gubernatorial-era debts and failing to explain the whereabouts of a disputed N2.13 billion ecological fund.
“Why Now?” — State Rejects Claims of Political Motive
In a statement signed by Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr. Law Mefor, the state government pushed back on suggestions that the debt controversy is politically timed, arguing it had quietly serviced inherited debts for four and a half years without complaint until Obi publicly challenged anyone to prove he left the state owing money — a challenge Mefor said Obi tied to his own 2027 presidential bid. Mefor argued the government’s response was simply evidence provided in answer to that self-issued dare, not an unprovoked attack.
The Loans: $123.77 Million and Counting
The state reiterated its central financial claim: that Obi’s administration signed eight IDA–World Bank loans during his tenure totaling roughly $123.77 million, and that Debt Management Office figures as of June 30, 2026, put the outstanding balance on those loans at $92.35 million (N127.37 billion) — still being serviced today through monthly FAAC deductions. Mefor dismissed Obi’s on-air argument that he never personally went to the DMO or World Bank as legally irrelevant, saying signing the loan agreements constituted the borrowing regardless.
Unpaid Workers: More Than 700 Staff, Years of Arrears
The statement disputed Obi’s Arise TV suggestion that unpaid Anambra State Water Corporation staff were not his government’s responsibility, saying the workers were, in fact, agency staff owed salaries, pensions and gratuities under a 2009 arbitration ruling and a 2019 National Industrial Court judgment. The state said it settled the matter out of court in February 2024 for roughly N1.56 billion, of which about N1.2 billion has been paid so far. It also alleged 11 months of unpaid pension arrears owed to primary school teachers remain outstanding from Obi’s tenure and are currently being re-verified for payment.
Savings vs. Spending: A Dispute Over What Development Means
The state took particular aim at Obi’s defense that $150 million in bank savings he left behind would have generated enough interest to cover the loans had his successor, Willie Obiano, left it untouched. Mefor argued that framing prioritizes bank interest over citizen welfare, and cited what he described as the state’s condition at the time — including over 900 active gully erosion sites, dozens of communities without public primary schools, and no state-owned airport or power plant — as reasons the money should have been spent rather than banked.
Handover Note Dispute
The government also challenged the accuracy of Obi’s widely circulated handover note, alleging it inflated the asset column with abandoned or uncompleted projects — including the Nnewi Shopping Mall and Onitsha Hotel — while omitting an estimated N127 billion (roughly $750 million) in outstanding liabilities on 101 contracted road projects covering 779 kilometers.
The N2.13 Billion Question
Perhaps the sharpest allegation concerns the ecological fund Obi says he left behind. The state said it obtained a letter from First Bank dated September 16, 2026, which it says confirms the account number Obi cited is actually an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) consolidated account, not an ecological fund account — and that the account never held a balance close to N2.13 billion at any point during its active years from 2011 to 2018. The government said this discrepancy remains unresolved and has called on Obi to clarify where the money is.
Where Things Stand
The state government closed its statement by calling on Obi to apologize rather than continue disputing the figures, while stopping short of demanding he follow through on his pledge to quit the presidential race. Obi has previously rejected the state’s claims, challenged it to produce documentary evidence of some allegations, and maintained that his administration cleared more than N35 billion in inherited arrears during his tenure — a rebuttal he is expected to address further as the dispute continues.
Metro NG will continue to track this dispute as both sides release further documentation.
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