By Spear News Reporter
The Anambra State Government has said it is still servicing loans and other debts incurred by previous administrations, including those of former governors Peter Obi and Willie Obiano.
The Commissioner for Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor, stated this during a podcast programme, Ndi Anambra, moderated by Ejimofor Opara, a Special Assistant to Governor Charles Soludo on New Media. A video clip of the podcast was shared on the Anambra State New Media Facebook page on Monday.
Okafor insisted that the Soludo administration has not borrowed from any commercial bank since assuming office, but has continued to repay loans inherited from past governments.
“It’s on record that this administration has not borrowed a kobo from any commercial bank since its inception,” he said.
He explained that deductions are made monthly from the state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to service the loans.
“Every month during our FAAC meetings, when you see the schedule, you will notice substantial deductions from our allocation because of loans previously borrowed by previous administrations,” Okafor said.
According to him, some of the loans were obtained during the administrations of Peter Obi and the immediate past governor, Willie Obiano, as well as other past governors.
The finance commissioner claimed the Soludo administration has significantly reduced the state’s debt burden despite not borrowing.
“We have been able to manage the state debt very well, bringing it down by more than 83 per cent as of today. We’ve repaid most of these loans,” he said.
He added that the administration had cleared several legacy debts, including unpaid contracts, gratuity arrears and pension arrears, noting that the state’s domestic debt was now at a “near-zero balance.”
On external debts, Okafor said repayments are deducted automatically from federal allocations in line with the terms of the loans, most of which are World Bank commitments.
The latest claim contrasts with Peter Obi’s repeated insistence that he owed no person or institution when he left office as governor of Anambra State.
Obi, who served from 2010 to 2014 and is now the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said he left a total of $150 million — $50 million each in Access, defunct Diamond and Fidelity banks — with an interest rate of at least 6.5 per cent.
“If you calculate all of them today, the money would have been about N60 billion,” Obi said in 2022, challenging Nigerians to investigate his claims.
The former governor and Governor Soludo have been locked in a war of words in recent years.
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