THE Anambra State Government has presented official documents relating to N363.381 million in salary arrears as a fresh dispute intensifies over the liabilities allegedly inherited from the administration of former Governor Peter Obi.
The documents were released on social media by Anambra State New Media, a platform affiliated with the state government, in response to Obi’s repeated claim that he did not burden the state with debts before leaving office in 2014.
News Point Nigeria reports that the documents include a memo dated May 22, 2025, signed by a former Head of Service, as well as terms of settlement reached between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).
The memo stated that the state government had entered into a settlement covering salary arrears owed to workers and pensioners of two defunct agencies, the Anambra State Water Corporation (ANSWC) and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA).
According to the document, the second tranche of the settlement was valued at N363,381,000 and was scheduled for payment in 2026, following an earlier payment.
“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 memo stated.
The document further referred to Article 7 of the terms of settlement and said the payment formed part of the state government’s commitment to fulfilling the agreement and addressing the hardship faced by the affected workers and pensioners.
It proposed that the payment be processed through the state government payroll system via a dedicated account and sought approval for the release of the funds to the beneficiaries.
The vote charge was listed as 61104001/23020105/10000003, with a balance of N500 million indicated in the document.
The terms of settlement referenced in the memo were signed by the Anambra State Government and AUPCTRE on February 6, 2024.
The state government said the N363.381 million represented part of the salary arrears it inherited from the Obi administration, alleging that the former governor left outstanding entitlements owed to workers and pensioners of the two defunct agencies.
It said the payment was part of efforts by the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo to settle outstanding obligations, adding that the first tranche had already been paid while the second tranche was provided for under the 2024 terms of settlement.
However, the documents, on their face, establish the existence of the settlement and the scheduled payment but do not by themselves establish when the underlying salary arrears were incurred or whether they arose during Obi’s administration.
The documents were released amid a renewed dispute over liabilities allegedly linked to Obi’s eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State.
Obi, who left office in 2014 after serving two terms, has consistently maintained that he did not burden the state with debts before leaving office.
He reiterated the position on Thursday during an interview on Arise News while responding to allegations that his administration left outstanding loans and other liabilities.
The dispute follows an earlier claim by Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, who said Obi left $123.77 million in debt at the end of his tenure.
The latest documents have now added the N363.381 million salary-arrears settlement to the broader disagreement over the financial obligations allegedly inherited by successive administrations in Anambra State.