ANAMBRA DEBT DISPUTE: STATE RELEASES N363.4M DOCUMENT ON WORKERS’ ARREARS
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By; Sunmola Ganiyat
The Anambra State Government has released a document approving the payment of N363.381 million as the second tranche of salary arrears owed to workers, pensioners and next of kin of the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency.
The document, dated May 24, 2025, was signed by the then Head of Service, Dame Theodora Okwy Igwegbe, and addressed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Its release comes amid an ongoing dispute between the state government and former Governor Peter Obi over whether his administration left unpaid workers’ entitlements when he left office in 2014.
The document sought approval for the release of N363,381,000 to settle the second tranche of the arrears under an out-of-court agreement reached between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees.
Former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi and Current Anambra Governor, Soludo
According to the document, the settlement, signed on February 6, 2024, covered arrears owed to workers, pensioners and next of kin of the defunct Water Corporation and ANSEPA.
It stated that the second tranche was due for payment in 2026 and would be processed through the state government payroll system via a dedicated account.
The document said the payment was part of the state government’s implementation of the terms agreed with organised labour.
The latest disclosure comes days after Obi maintained that he left Anambra State without outstanding salaries, gratuities or pensions.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, the former governor said his administration had settled all salaries, pensions and gratuities due to workers at the time he left office.
Obi also maintained that his administration did not owe contractors or suppliers whose work had been completed, verified and certified.
On the broader debt controversy, Obi reiterated that he did not personally approach financial institutions to borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State during his eight years in office.
He argued that some of the facilities being linked to his administration were concessionary multilateral development programmes arranged through the Federal Government and accessed by participating states.
Obi further maintained that undrawn portions of such facilities should not be regarded as debts incurred by an administration.
The workers’ arrears dispute forms part of a wider disagreement between Obi and the Soludo administration over the financial obligations inherited by the current government.
The Anambra State Government has maintained that it inherited outstanding liabilities from previous administrations, including salary, pension and gratuity arrears. It has also stated that the Soludo administration has cleared about N22 billion in inherited gratuity arrears, while some legacy obligations remain.
The latest document confirms the existence of a 2024 out-of-court settlement and the approval process for the N363.381 million second tranche. However, the document alone does not establish when all the underlying arrears accrued or which administration was responsible for them.
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