Debt dispute deepens as Anambra releases N363.4m document on workers’ arrears
The Anambra State Government released a document on Friday showing the approval of N363.381 million as the second tranche of salary arrears for workers, pensioners and next of kin of the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency.
The release came amid an ongoing dispute with former Governor Peter Obi over whether his administration left unpaid workers’ entitlements when he left office in 2014.
The memo was dated May 24, 2025. It was signed by the then Head of Service, Dame Theodora Okwy Igwegbe, and addressed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
The document sought approval for the release of N363,381,000. It formed part of an out-of-court settlement between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees.
The Head of Service wrote, “That the agreed second tranche payment of Three Hundred and Sixty-Three Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand Naira only (N363,381,000.00) is due for disbursement in line with the Terms of Settlement signed on 6th February 2024.”
According to the document, the second tranche was due for payment in 2026.
The state government has previously stated that arrears owed to staff of the defunct Water Corporation lingered throughout Obi’s tenure and led to court processes. It said its administration negotiated a settlement and paid the first two instalments of the agreed three instalmental payments.
Obi has maintained that his administration left office without outstanding salaries, pensions or gratuities. He has also stated that he systematically cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears.
The latest document added to earlier exchanges between both sides over the state’s financial records at the time of handover.
