The Anambra State Government has released documents relating to N363.38 million in salary arrears owed to workers and pensioners of two defunct state agencies, amid the ongoing dispute over former Governor Peter Obi’s financial record.
The documents were shared by Anambra State New Media, a platform affiliated with the state government, as the administration responds to Obi’s repeated claim that he left office without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations.
The documents include a memo dated May 22, 2025, as well as a terms-of-settlement agreement between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees.
According to the documents, the state had agreed to settle arrears involving former workers, staff and pensioners of the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation (ANSWC) and Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA).
A second tranche of N363.381 million was scheduled for payment in 2026 as part of the settlement.
“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 agreement referenced in the memo was signed by the state government and AUPCTRE on February 6, 2024.
Government says arrears were inherited
The Soludo administration maintains that the N363.381 million represents part of salary arrears inherited from previous administrations, including the government led by Obi.
The state said the payment was part of its efforts to resolve outstanding obligations involving workers and pensioners of the two defunct agencies.
According to the documents, the first tranche of the settlement had already been paid, while the second tranche was scheduled for 2026.
The memo also sought approval for the release of the funds to beneficiaries through the state government payroll system.
However, the documents themselves do not independently establish when the underlying salary arrears were incurred or whether all of them originated during Obi’s administration.
The government’s release comes amid a wider dispute over Obi’s record as governor between 2006 and 2014. The state has also alleged that eight external borrowing facilities linked to projects during his tenure had an outstanding balance of $92.35 million as of June 30, 2026.
Obi maintains he left no outstanding obligations
Obi has continued to reject the allegations, insisting that his administration did not leave unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or verified obligations to contractors and suppliers who had completed and certified their work.
He has also disputed the description of the external financing as loans personally obtained by him, saying the funding arrangements involved multilateral development programmes facilitated through the Federal Government.
The former governor has maintained that his administration cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears before leaving office.
The dispute has now expanded from the question of external loans to salary and pension arrears, with the Anambra government presenting documents to support its position and Obi continuing to challenge the claims.
The two sides therefore remain divided over the nature and timing of liabilities associated with the period before Obi handed over power in March 2014.
Source: Anambra State Government
