The Anambra State government has publicly rebuked former governor Peter Obi, now a presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over its view that “governance is about prioritising citizens’ welfare, not saving in banks for interests while the people suffer.” In a statement released Friday, the state said Obi had left the office in 2014 with a debt of $123.77 million and that he had concealed this figure in the handover notes.
Obi has denied the allegation, asserting that he departed with more than $150 million in the state’s treasury and investments. “As at the time I left office, the dollar components of my savings invested in various bonds were over $150 million, which gives Anambra state guaranteed income of about $10 million yearly,” he said. He added that the yields from the $150 million would have paid off the claimed debt by now, leaving the principal intact, and challenged the state to prove any unpaid debts, salaries, pensions or contractor liabilities.
In response, the Anambra government released documents on Saturday alleging that Obi’s administration left N363 million in salary arrears owed to workers, among other outstanding debts. Law Mefor, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, said the state’s priority should have been “the lives of the millions of people pulled out of poverty” rather than “trading where everything is primarily about profit and loss.”
“If government savings and interest income constitute an indicator of governance performance, perhaps it should have been one of the MDGs or SDGs, and governments would start competing as to who saves the most rather than who improves the security and welfare of the people the most,” Mefor said.
The state also highlighted a range of development gaps that it claims existed during Obi’s tenure, including poor infrastructure, weak public health and education systems, lack of pipe‑borne water, and more than 900 active gully erosion sites. It argued that investment in human capital and infrastructure could yield greater social and economic returns than the financial interest generated by keeping money in banks.
- Malaria control projects
- Education initiatives
- Healthcare programmes
- Erosion management
- Community development
- Value chain development
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
