The Anambra State Government has released official documents detailing N363.381 million in salary arrears, escalating its dispute with former Governor Peter Obi, who insists he left no debt. The documents were shared on social media by Anambra State New Media, a platform affiliated with the state government, in direct response to Obi’s claim that he did not burden the state with outstanding financial obligations.
The records include a memo dated May 22, 2025, signed by former Head of Service Theodora Igwegbe, and a terms-of-settlement agreement between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE). According to the memo, the N363.381 million represents the second tranche of payments scheduled for 2026, covering salary arrears owed to workers, pensioners, and next of kin of two defunct agencies: the Anambra State Water Corporation (ANSWC) and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA). The document quotes: “The second payment in the sum of Three Hundred and Sixty-Three Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand Naira only (₦363,381,000.00) will be made in 2026”.
The settlement agreement was signed on February 6, 2024, following a dispute lasting approximately 14 years. A verification exercise put Water Corporation workers’ arrears at over N1.32 billion and ANSEPA workers’ claims at about N238.18 million. The first tranche of N473 million was already paid, with subsequent instalments planned.
The government maintains that the N363.381 million represents part of the salary arrears inherited from Obi’s administration, which it says left worker entitlements unpaid. The documents were released a day after Obi appeared on Arise Television and denied borrowing money from any bank.
However, the documents do not independently establish when the underlying arrears were incurred or whether they originated during Obi’s tenure, a distinction central to the ongoing disagreement. Obi, who governed from 2006 to 2014, has consistently maintained that his administration cleared over N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears, leaving no unpaid salaries, pensions, or contractor debts.