Peter Obi's SSG reacts to debt controversy, releases document

Oseloka Obaze, a former Secretary to the Anambra State Government (SSG), says the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, left N86.6 billion in the coffers of the Anambra State before exiting office as governor in 2014.

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Mr Obaze served as the SSG in Anambra State during the administration of Mr Obi from 2006 to 2014.

The former SSG, in a post on his X handle on Thursday, said he was personally present on 17 March 2014 when Mr Obi gave a handover letter containing details of the state’s finances to then-incoming governor of the state, Willie Obiano.

“I was also present when Governor Willie Obiano received and signed an acknowledgement for his own copy of the letter, complete with the annexed certified bank statements, related documents and the Handover Report,” Mr Obaze wrote.

The former official also uploaded on the microblogging website a copy of the handover letter which Mr Obi gave to Mr Obiano, who exited office as governor in 2022 after two terms and handed over to Charles Soludo.

“The letter listed assets and liabilities – in black and red (respectively),” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the handover letter uploaded on X by Mr Obaze had been publicly available, even on social media, since Mr Obi exited office.

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Willie Obiano and Anambra Airport

Mr Obaze, in the X post, recalled that during the Anambra 2017 governorship debate on 12 November 2017 which was organised by Channels Television, then-Governor Obiano surprisingly claimed that there were no funds left by Mr Obi Administration.

“I recall asking him (Obiano) on national television, how as a certified accountant and auditor, he would sign off and accept financial documents, for which he now was expressing reservations.

“He (Obiano) then publicly acknowledged for the first time that some specified funds were in place and asked what was the use of saving money, when there was work to be done,” he said

The former SSG then claimed that the then-Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State later confirmed to members of the Nigerian Press Corp that Mr Obiano had disclosed to him that Mr Obi indeed left “huge sums” of funds which enabled him to independently build the Anambra Airport at Umueri.

“If Governor Obiano to whom Peter Obi handed over to, in 2014 would eventually acknowledge – implicitly and explicitly – that Governor Peter Obi indeed left the stipulated funds; a fact that was also publicly corroborated by Governor Alex Otti, in his capacity as an ex-banker, what then, one may ask, is the beef and grouse of the incumbent Anambra State Government?” the former official asked.

What the hand over letter showed

A review of the handover letter indicated that Mr Obi authored and addressed it to Mr Obiano, then-incoming governor of Anambra State.

The letter, titled “2014 Anambra State Handover Report,” was dated 17 March 2014, the last day of Mr Obi’s administration as governor of Anambra.

“As Friday 14 March, 2014 was the final working day of my Administration, I also forward herewith, the summary of the full financial statement of Anambra State (copies of which are herein attached) as at close of business on that day,” Mr Obi wrote in the letter.

According to the letter, N27 billion was the state’s funds committed in local investment while N25.6 billion was for foreign currency investment which was about $156 million.

Also, N28.27 billion was the balance for the certified state/ministries, departments and agencies of the government while N10 billion was funds refunded to the state by the federal government.

The figures, according to the letter, brought the total assets and balances left in the state’s coffers at the time to N91.67 billion.

However, Mr Obi indicated in the letter that he had earmarked N5 billion out of the N91.67 billion for payment of estimated liabilities.

He listed the estimated liabilities to include March 2014 salaries, pensions and gratuities as well as approved certificates of already executed projects.

The deduction of the N5 billion for the liabilities brought the total assets and balances left in the state’s coffers at the time to N86.67 billion.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Obiano’s administration acknowledgment of the receipt of the handover letter does not automatically represent a confirmation of availability of funds, especially since Mr Obiano’s administration did not publicly confirm the authenticity of the finances in the government’s treasury at the time.

This newspaper also understands that the state’s financial records at the time as presented by Mr Obi’s administration were not jointly verified by the outgoing and incoming administrations.

But while speaking as a guest on a Channels TV programme shortly before the 2017 governorship poll, Mr Obiano appeared to confirm some aspects of the details in the handover letter.

“My predecessor (Mr Obi) left N9 billion in cash and N25.6 billion in script issues – these are sovereign wealth funds and shares in other banks,” he had responded when the programme anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, asked him for detail of what he met on ground.

The then-governor added: “If you put N9 billion to that (N25.6 billion), you get N35.5 billion, but he issued cheques worth over N15 billion before he left.”

Background

The state of Anambra’s finances has long been a subject of debate, but the issue resurfaced recently when the Commissioner for Finance in the state, Izuchukwu Okafor, claimed that Governor Charles Soludo’s administration was still repaying loans and other debts incurred by Mr Obi and other past governors of the state.

Responding to the claim in a now-viral clip, Mr Obi said he did not owe any debt in Anambra when he left office as governor.

The former governor subsequently reiterated that he did not incur any debt as governor but rather saved over N75 billion in the state’s account.

In response, the Anambra State Government released loan records arguing that Mr Obi’s administration reportedly took eight external loans between 2007 and 2013 which amounted to $123.7 million and that the amount has now been reduced with an outstanding balance of $92.35 million.