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Debunks NDC Presidential Candidate’s Claim of Clearing All Inherited Arrears of Pensions, Salaries
- Safiu Kehinde
The Anambra State Government has debunked the debt settlement claim of the 2027 Nigeria Democratic Congress Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.
Law Mefor, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, refuted Obi’s claims as he disclosed that the state is still paying over N127.4 billion loan accumulated from eight different external borrowings under the former Anambra governor’s eight years administration.
Mefor, in a statement issued on Wednesday in response to Obi’s demand for evidence of unsettled debt during his tenure, highlighted how the NDC candidate accumulated the debt.
The commissioner disclosed that Obi spent about $4.05 billion (equivalent to N5.4 trillion at current exchange rate) in 8 years and also Contracted US$ 123.77 million in external debt alone which the current administration under Governor Chukwuma Soludo has so far paid billions of Naira in service payments.
While admitting to the need for government to borrow with being indebted inevitable, Mefor however accused Obi of not utlising the borrowed fund in addressing the welfare concern of Anambra citizens.
‘Let’s be clear: hardly any government in the world has zero debt stock. The issue is not whether or not borrowing is good: no business or government can scale significantly without some debt.
‘Obi still left a state without any functioning urban or rural water schemes; increasing insecurity and INCREASED POVERTY, ostensibly dead public schools and dead public hospitals with grossly inadequate teachers and medical personnel (indeed 44% of all communities in Anambra, 78 out of 179) did not and still do not have any public primary schools (and this administration is only beginning to close the gap), decrepit infrastructure with huge urban slums, etc.
‘Only about 27% of Anambra residents patronized public health institutions because of poor quality and non-functionality (he even admitted abandoning public health system at the recent NBA conference).
‘We are convinced that many Ndi Anambra would not have minded if HE Peter Obi had borrowed to fix public schools and hospitals, water schemes, infrastructure, or even to reduce poverty and insecurity.
‘Debt, especially for bankable projects and human capital development, is justifiable. So, HE Peter Obi should stop being irked as if all debt is bad.’ He said.
The commissioner thereafter took a dive into the latest report of the state external borrowings which pegged the debt profile at N127.4 billion.
This, according to him, stemmed from the eight different external borrowings Obi allegedly left for his successors.
‘As at the date HE Peter Obi left office (17th March 2014), there were and still are 8 different external borrowings his administration left for his successors.
‘As of June 30, 2026, the total balance of such loans left by HE Peter Obi at the official exchange rate stood at N127.4Billion.
‘Here we summarize the latest report from the Debt Management Office (DMO) on Anambra’s debt status (as of June 2026), indicating the dates the loans were signed and the balance remaining.
‘Obi borrowed for malaria, erosion control, education, healthcare, etc.
‘So far, this government pays hundreds of millions of Naira every month to service these debts and we are not complaining. It is good for Anambra once we can show the impacts.’ He said.
On Obi’s claim of clearing all arrears of pensions, salaries, and gratuities, Mefor refuted the claims as he revealed that the ex-governor only paid five months of the 16 months arrears his administration owed the pensioners and workers.
‘Obi made very strong statements about clearing ALL inherited arrears of pensions, salaries and gratuities.
‘That claim is patently false. We do not want to get into the debate between him and his predecessors regarding which arrears were paid by them or by him.
‘Our administration has cleared about N22 billion in inherited gratuity arrears of retired state and local govemment employees and teachers. However, there are still legacy arrears which have lingered since the time of HE Peter Obi.
‘First, there is the arrears of salaries to staff of defunct Water Corporation, which lingered throughout HE Peter Obi’s tenure, culminating in court processes and judgments.
‘It is this administration that has negotiated a settlement and already paid the first two instalments of the agreed three installmental payments.
‘Second, there are arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities owed to primary school teachers under the local government system during the Gov Mbadinuju’s tenure.
‘The attention of our administration has recently been drawn to these lingering arrears. We have been informed that the government of HE Peter Obi verified and certified the debt of 16 months of salary arrears and agreed to pay in tranches.
‘It only paid five months and no more until today. This administration has set up a committee headed by the Head of Service to finalise a new verification for us to pay.’ He said.
The commissioner maintained that Obi owed salaries and pensions as he questioned the NDC Presidential candidate’s bold claim that he will quit the presidential race if anyone can prove that he was indebted whilein office.
‘So, Your Excellency, you owed salaries, pensions and gratuities. Many of these people are still alive and can testify. It is not good to speak loudly without facts or with fabricated figures.
‘How can you say that if we show one person that you owed you will quit your 2027 presidential campaign? No, we don’t want you to quit and we wish you well.
‘But you obviously LIED: you owed many, not one, and those debts are yet to be fully cleared even today!’ He added.