Anambra Govt Releases Fresh Evidence of Unpaid Salaries During Obi’s Tenure

The Anambra State Government has released a 2024 out-of-court settlement document amid its dispute with former Governor Peter Obi over unpaid salaries and financial obligations left behind by his administration.

The document, titled “Terms of Settlement,” was signed on February 6, 2024, between the Anambra State Government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) over issues involving the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA).

It shared the document as evidence against Obi, accusing the former governor of failing to honour his earlier claim that he left office without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or other financial obligations.

In a post on its official X account, the government described the document as evidence that contradicted Obi’s position.

“PART 1: The Water Corporation Arrears — The Evidence: Peter Obi Lied,” the government wrote.

It added, “14 years later, Soludo entered an out-of-court settlement with the Water Corporation over salaries Obi refused to pay for 8 years.

“Soludo is now clearing the backlog.

“Obi knows; we know he lied.”

The document itself records an agreement between the state government and AUPCTRE to resolve a long-running dispute involving workers of the defunct Water Corporation and ANSEPA. The agreement states that the parties had been engaged in an out-of-court settlement process after years of dispute.

Article 1 of the document lists accrued salaries identified after a verification exercise. It puts the verified salary arrears for Water Corporation staff at N1,325,562,788.17 and those of ANSEPA staff at N238,187,571.95.

The document further states that the parties agreed on arrangements for settling the verified claims.

Under Article 7, titled “Payment Mode,” the agreement provides for payment in instalments over four years. It states that N473 million was to be paid in 2024, while the remaining agreed sum of N1,090,143,020 was to be shared across 2025, 2026 and 2027.

The document lists N363,381,006 for 2025, another N363,381,006 for 2026 and N363,381,006 for 2027.

Article 8 also states that AUPCTRE agreed to the release of an account containing N473 million garnished at Fidelity Bank to facilitate payment in 2024 “to ameliorate the suffering of workers.”

The settlement also provided for a dedicated state government account for payments to affected staff, with the payments to be processed through the state government payroll system.

The agreement came after a 14-year dispute involving the defunct Water Corporation and ANSEPA. Anambra State Government announced the settlement in February 2024, saying it had reached an out-of-court agreement with AUPCTRE to resolve the matter. The government said at the time that the settlement would save the state about N1.3 billion and could allow eligible former workers to return to government service after screening.

The latest disclosure comes amid a wider political disagreement between the Anambra Government and Obi over his record as governor.

The state government had previously challenged Obi over his claim that he left Anambra without debt or unpaid obligations. In its earlier statement, it referred to Obi’s reported pledge to withdraw from the presidential race if anyone could establish that he left the state in debt.

Obi has rejected the allegations and maintained that his administration inherited substantial arrears from previous governments and worked to clear them.

“We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over N35 billion,” Obi said.

He also maintained that he left office without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or debts owed to contractors for completed and certified projects.

“At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified,” he said.

Obi had challenged those making contrary claims to provide evidence, saying, “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.”

Historical records also show that the dispute over the Water Corporation workers predates the Soludo administration. In 2014, AUPCTRE complained over about N1.8 billion in outstanding emoluments involving workers of the Water Corporation and ANSEPA, while the dispute subsequently continued through legal and settlement processes.

The Anambra Government is now presenting the 2024 agreement as part of its case against Obi, arguing that the existence of the verified arrears contradicts his broader claim that his administration handed over the state without unpaid workers’ salaries.

The document shows that the settlement was signed by representatives of both sides, including the then Anambra State Head of Service, Theodora Igwegbe; Accountant General, Chukwudi Okoli; Managing Director of the Anambra State Urban Water Asset Holdings Corporation, Ikeobi Ejiofor; Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Sylvia Ifemeje; and AUPCTRE officials led by its National President, Benjamin Anthony.