OSHIOHMOLE QUESTIONS HOW PETER OBI SAVED $150M AS ANAMBRA GOVERNOR
Read Time:2 Minute, 10 Second
By: Fasasi Hammad
Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, has questioned Peter Obi’s claim that he saved approximately $150 million during his tenure as governor of Anambra State.
Oshiomhole, a former Edo State governor and ex-national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the remarks during an interview with Symfoni TV published on Thursday.
He questioned how Obi was able to accumulate savings in dollars when the Federal Government disburses allocations to states in naira.
Oshiomhole said he and Obi were members of the National Economic Council, chaired by the vice-president, when state governors sought to have their allocations paid in dollars because of the disparity between the official and parallel market exchange rates.
However, he said the Federal Government rejected the proposal, maintaining that the naira was Nigeria’s official currency.
“Where did you get dollars to save? Did you receive naira from Abuja and go to bid for dollars to save for Anambra State?” Oshiomhole asked.
The senator also disputed Obi’s assertion that he did not borrow money while serving as governor, arguing that World Bank facilities could still constitute loans even when repayment was deferred.
He explained that he also accessed World Bank facilities during his tenure as Edo governor, including financial instruments referred to as budget support.
“If you are not paying it immediately, it’s not a loan? It’s in the books, and a future government will necessarily pay it anyway,” Oshiomhole said.
He added that repayment moratoriums could allow a governor to leave office before a loan becomes due, leaving a successor administration responsible for settling the outstanding obligation.
Oshiomhole said he believed this was the point Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo had sought to make while discussing Obi’s financial record.
He also criticised claims about Obi’s borrowing history, referring to a reception reportedly organised by the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO) to recognise the former governor for allegedly not applying for loans requiring approval.
Oshiomhole described the claim as “another lie”, although he did not provide further details in the interview excerpt to substantiate the allegation.
Obi, who left office in 2014 after serving two terms as Anambra governor, has maintained that he did not leave the state burdened with debt.
He reiterated his position during a recent interview on Arise TV while responding to allegations that his administration left outstanding loans and liabilities.
However, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, had previously stated that Obi left an external debt of $123.77 million at the end of his tenure.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0