By Sunny A. David, Awka
The Anambra State Government has admitted that it failed to properly verify the amount actually drawn from a $123 million World Bank loan facility linked to the administration of former Governor Peter Obi before claiming that the former governor left the state with the entire debt.
The state Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, made the admission on Friday while appearing on the Arise TV Morning Show.
Mefor was confronted during the programme by the presenter, Rufai Oseni, who pointed out that records from the Debt Management Office (DMO) showed that although the Obi administration signed for a $123 million World Bank loan, only about $30 million was actually drawn from the facility.
Responding to the issue, Mefor acknowledged that he had not adequately cross-checked the figure with the relevant federal agency before citing the $123 million amount in a recent statement.
“I did not check properly,” Mefor said, adding that he would contact the DMO to establish the exact amount drawn from the facility.
The commissioner explained that his understanding was that the Obi administration had signed the loan agreement to fund eight critical sectors, including education and healthcare.
He, however, admitted that he did not verify the amount actually accessed by the administration before making the claim.
The admission comes amid an ongoing dispute over the financial obligations allegedly inherited by successive administrations in Anambra State, following renewed claims by Obi that he did not leave any debt when he handed over power to his successor, the late Chief Willie Obiano, on March 17, 2014.
Clarifying the state government’s position, Mefor said his admission regarding the $123 million figure did not amount to a withdrawal of its broader claim that Obi left financial obligations behind.
“We are not saying that Obi didn’t do his best; what we are responding to is his claim that he did not leave any debts in the state,” he said.
Mefor further alleged that Obi inherited about 16 months of unpaid teachers’ salaries but, after the arrears were verified, paid five months, leaving 11 months outstanding.
He also rejected suggestions that the Soludo administration was raising the issue primarily to undermine Obi’s political ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the state government was responding to Obi’s renewed assertion that he left no debts when he handed over power in 2014.
The commissioner also defended the Soludo administration’s relationship with President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), arguing that cooperation between an Anambra government and a federal administration controlled by another political party was not unprecedented.
He noted that Obi governed Anambra under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) while the federal government was controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
Mefor added that Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, also maintained a working relationship with the APC-led Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the APGA-led Anambra State Government had not yet commenced its presidential campaign programme.
