Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation Dr Lawrence Mefor, has acknowledged a fresh discrepancy in debt figures attributed to former governor Peter Obi, marking the second time the state has been forced to revise its claims after facing public scrutiny.
Mefor has admitted that he does not have details of how much was actually drawn from loans allegedly obtained under the administration of former governor Peter Obi.
Mefor made the disclosure during an interview on ARISE News on Friday while discussing the loans associated with the former administration, twelve years apart.
A pattern of errors
The state had earlier claimed Obi owed $123.77 billion in debt, a figure later corrected to $123.77 million — a discrepancy of roughly a thousandfold that drew criticism online before officials quietly amended it.
The latest dispute arose when broadcaster Rufai Oseni of Arise TV challenged Mefor’s assertion that Obi had borrowed ₦123 billion from the Federal Government during his tenure as governor.
According to the commissioner, eight of the loans were guaranteed by the Federal Government but remained obligations that Anambra State was required to repay.
“Yes, it was a federal government-guaranteed loan. Eight of them, federal government-guaranteed. But it was not a dash, it was not a grant,” Mefor said.
He explained that the loans were not compulsory for state governments, noting that some states reportedly declined to participate because they did not consider the repayment terms favourable.
Mefor further claimed that deductions had continued to be made from Anambra State’s Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to service the loans.
“The FAAC allocations to Anambra State have been deducted every month to service the separate loans taken by the Peter Obi administration,” he said.
Broadcaster challenges official figure
“The ₦123 billion you quoted as money Peter Obi borrowed from the Federal Government is incorrect. He did not borrow it,” Oseni said. He added that any debt attributable to Obi’s administration, though not directly borrowed by him, would amount to roughly ₦30 billion — “because the state already had existing debts before the ₦30 billion.”
Commissioner concedes, promises verification
When pressed on the actual amount drawn from the loans during Obi’s tenure, Mefor acknowledged that he did not have the figures.
“I don’t have the details of how much was drawn down from those loans,” he said.
Responding to the challenge, Mefor conceded the point may be valid and committed to further investigation.
“Yes, you might be right that he is not owing it. We didn’t look at it from that angle,” Mefor said. He added that the state government would consult the Debt Management Office “to determine who actually owes those debts.”
The repeated inconsistencies have renewed scrutiny over the accuracy of debt figures cited by Anambra State officials regarding Obi’s time in office.
