Former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has reacted to Governor Willie Obiano’s recent allegation that the N75 billion savings handed over to him (Obiano) by Obi, in March 2014, were far less than the actual figure, accusing the current governor of distortion of facts and gross finan­ cial mismanagement.

At a recent press conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Obiano had dismissed Obi’s claims as “half-truths” pointing out that the former governor left the state with a heavy debt overhang of N106.2 billion when his tenure expired on March 17, 2014.Obiano had wondered how Obi could have given Ndi Anambra a rosy picture of the assets he left behind without showing them the liabilities he incurred.

The governor, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solomon Osi­ ta Chukwulobelu, held that out of the N185.1bn, the Obi adminis­ tration could only pay the sum of N78.9bn when it handed over power in March last year, bringing the total liabilities to N106.2bn.

But Obi, who opened up yester­ day, in a statement made available to the press by his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, decried how Obiano squandered the hardearned savings in foreign currency which would have gone a long way in sustaining the development of the State.The statement entitled, “We Need a Public Debate on the N75 billion Peter Obi Left,” provided details and listed the areas the money was frittered away to include N5 billion ap­ proved by the present administration for the celebration of the first 100 days in office, the N1 billion monthly security vote, hundreds of billions spent for 2014 Christmas decoration and buying of horses and the N40 million to mount the gates at the Government’s Lodge.

Others include N35 million spent to mount the gate at the Government’s House, change of roof at the Government House which gulped N700 million, change of all the tiles in the Government House to pale granite at N150 million, procurement of dining table at N25 mil­ lion, seats at N50 million, gold bed from the United States at N30 million and another gold bed for the governor’s wife at N25 million.

Giving a further breakdown on how Obiano successfully deplet­ed the N75 billion savings within a short period of time, Obienyem said N40 million was spent on imported kitchen cabinet from the United States, N150 million for musical sets for Aguleri, acquisition and relocation of all lands around the governor’s compound at Aguleri, as well as the increase in Commissioners and Special Advisers pay to over N400,000 monthly as against N190,000 Obi’s administration paid.

Other areas the savings was mismanaged include the increase in salary of Senior Special Assistants from N160,000 to N300,000.

According to the former governor, Obiano had also used more vehicles in less than two years than what his predecessor used in eight years, with the present Secretary to the State Government (SSG) using three Prado SUVs and two Toyota Hilux cars; the Chief of Staff two Prado SUVs and two Toyota Hilux cars and the Principal Secretary using two Prado SUVs and one pickup car.

While saying that there is noth­ing wrong in government borrowing money to meet its genuine demands, Obienyem dismissed the claim that the Obi administration left debts on contracts executed.

His words: “They said that Obi left N106.2 billion (wrong figure) over hangon contractual debts alone. I challenge them to publish the schedule of the debts and the companies being owed.

“As at the time Obi left office, he paid for all the certificates generated on contracts awarded. Certificates are generated on the basis of work completed. Are they saying Obi ought to pay for contracts yet to be done? The same man saying this awarded 35 fresh roads within his first year in office at the total cost of over N81 billion out of which he has paid N10 billion.

“On the other hand, Obi awarded roads totalling N93 billion in his last year in office and paid a total of over N51 billion on those roads before leaving office. Most of those roads were used to campaign for him during electioneering on the premise of continuity,” the statement said.

On the claim by the present administration that it met only N9 billion cash in the treasury Obienyem said: “  It is shocking to note that the Anambra State government said they only met 9 billion cash in the treasury. The point is that Obi left 37 Billion Naira in the treasury. We have the statements of accounts from the banks as at March 17th, 2014.    Let me illustrate using a few examples. Fidelity Bank and the money in the account as at 17th  March, 2017: account Name:    Ministry of Works, No: 5030005514, N2,403,862,359.89; account Name:    Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport,    No: 5030025545,    N2,029,706,380.45; account Name:    Local Govt    Community Development, account No: 5030042391, N1,734,069,061.09; account Name:    Government    Account, 5030047097, N3,048,355,196.

Diamond Bank: Account Name:    Anambra State Subsidy Account, account No: 0026290200,    amount  N5,126,258,908.72;  account name: UBE Matching Grant    Account, No: 0031151473, amount    N2,101,864,766.68;  account name: Anambra State Joint Local Govt, No: 0022404540; amount  N3,276,354,490.46.

First Bank:    Name of Account: EF/IGR Consolidated Account, no is 2018779464, amount is N2,139,951,400.00. Enterprise Bank, account name is Govt House, Awka, Account no is 1400036138 and Amount is 1,928,596,191.25.      The total is N23,789,018,751 (Twenty-Three Billion, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Seven Million, eighteen hundred, Seven hundred and fifty One kobo.”

“It is pertinent to note that two years have gone and Anambra State government is still debating what was left or not, even when other governors that inherited huge debts, unpaid salaries and repayable loans and bonds have all taken off.

“In Obi’s first six months in office, he had already saved enormous money for the state before he was illegally impeached” he added.

Furthermore, according to Obienyem, “As a matter of fact, during his inauguration, Gov. Obiano listed many projects he would undertake, some of which are building an air­ port, building three power stations, among others.

“He started three flyovers at the initial cost of N5 billion that was later varied to N15 billion. They diverted the money meant for the road, from Amansea to Amawbia round­ about to three flyovers. The contractor doing those flyovers is owed over N7 billion.

“He also started the construction of three roads to the airport simultaneously. Are these not enough reasons to convince Anambra peo­ ple on the need to borrow rather than bring Mr. Peter Obi into it?”

Show evidence you left N75bn -APGA

But the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, has dared the formergovernor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, to produce evidence that he handed over N75bn to his success, Dr Willie Obiano as he claimed in his handover note 18 months ago.

Speaking to reporters in Awka, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Ifeatu Obiokoye, said the party and Governor Obiano decided to keep mute for such a long time because they wanted peace to reign, more so when Obi was still a member of APGA family.

He said there was no doubt ab-initio that both the uninformed and informed minds knew that the controversial N75bn was not existing any where.

“I believe Governor Willie Obiano was being cautious by coming up with the truth now which, if he had done before now, would have embarrassed his predecessor.

‘’What is clear is that even in the handover note the liabilities were not clearly spelt out.

“The other aspect was other monies that was not in liquid cash but in liabilities. What do we now do with the truth as revealed by Governor Obiano.

‘’I would say that it is time for all of us to seriously look at the financial position of the state in the light of the global recession that is also affecting the country,” he said.

Stating that the revenue currently accrued to the state was 48% less than what it used to get three years ago, Obiokoye charged the people of the state to find ways of raising internally generated revenue, IGR,  to enable government meet up recurrent and capital expenditures.

While condemning the bloated civil service with more than 6,000 staff by Obi at the terminal days of his administration, Obiokoye praised Obiano for being able to pay workers on 25th of every month and pensioners as at when due.

Obiokoye, who described Obi’s reaction to the N75bn saga as pitiable, said it became necessary the governor told the people of the state the truth because the opposition championed by Obi had been and was still playing politics with the issue to drag the image of Obiano to the mud

http://www.thecapital.ng/?p=1041

Obi is a blessing to ndi anambra... Obiano 'the big nose' should go and have a sit

When will all these sad stories come to an end

When the mugun was leaving such multi billions in an environment needing developmental projects, we warned, in a year , money don vamoose.

Comments are free my bro , only facts are sacred. As much as these elders have become a cannon fodder in the hands of the politicians, things will continue to fall apart and centre will not hold.

Obi should stop talking and let him return the money. He brought in the governor to succeed him and I beleive he should held responsible either way!!!

Close family friends and associates of obiano will tell you of his extravagant lifestyle....willie can spend for Africa..he can drink crystal champagne for Africa....willie is also a proud man that loves the good thins of life...he devotes considerable amount of time on his outlook vis a vis dressing,food,cars etc so I am not surprised with this peter obi's postulations.

That said...peter obi will always be blamed for foisting the money chooper obiano on the good people of Anambra STate....i lost faith in obiano the day I saw him charter the entire arik flight from enugu to abuja...something peter never did in his 8yrs rule.

Fcccck Willie and his center parting head.

mazzi:
Obi is a blessing to ndi anambra... Obiano 'the big nose' should go and have a sit

Peter obi is a curse to anambra, not a blessing

A peep into the Wild aka Biafra.

Two of the wild's best at it...

"In all intellectual debates, both sides tend to be correct in what they affirm, and wrong in what they deny" - John Stuart Mill

However the truth is more important than the fact, so i think Mr Obi is just rolling out facts and not the truth.

The two sides should present us with documents to prove their versions of facts!

Public Notice: As Peter Obi Intensifies Calumny Campaign in the Media: Ndi Anambra Beware!

This is to alert the general public and the good people of Anambra State of some fraudulent documents being circulated in the media by Valentine Obienyem, an employee of the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Greg Obi.

The documents contain spurious and incredulous claims of how Peter Obi’s phantom N75bn was allegedly spent by the governor of Anambra State. Curiously, Mr. Obienyem himself had admitted in a live programme on Channels Television on Wednesday November 18, 2015 that former governor Obi did not leave the sum of N75bn in cash to his successor.

These fabricated documents are nothing but products of the fevered imagination of former Governor Obi and his agents who are out to destabilize the high-performing administration of Governor Willie Obiano. They should therefore be ignored by the general public for the following reasons –

1. These documents are not part of the contentious Handover Notes that Chief Obi passed onto Governor Obiano on March 17, 2014.

2. Mr. Obienyem admitted on live television that contrary to the bogus claims in the contentious Handover Note, former governor Obi left only N26.5bn in foreign investments and N35.5bn in “liquid currency” consisting of mobilization fees paid to contractors handling shopping malls, hotels and business parks in Onitsha amongst others.

3. Mr. Obienyem also further admitted that the Handover Note Obi passed onto his successor had only assets and no liabilities thereby perfectly covering up a staggering N106bn indebtedness to local contractors by the former administration.

4. In the spirit of Obiano’s Continuity Promise, the government of Anambra State has accepted all the liabilities left behind by the Obi administration and has since paid out the sum of N35bn on the projects inherited from the outgone administration.
5. As at July 31, 2015, the Obiano’s Administration had achieved an additional 19.0%, taking the completion rate to 61.6% on inherited projects from the past administration.

6. The Obiano administration has so far spent 50.8% of its FAAC Revenues on settling payment certificates from inherited projects from the past administration
7. Nevertheless, the Obiano administration shall continue to honour all verifiable financial obligations entered by the previous administration on behalf of the government of Anambra State.

What then we must never Forget
As former governor Peter Obi and his foot soldiers intensify their diabolical campaign against the governor of Anambra State, here are some of the highlights of Governor Willie Obiano’s 19 months in office that they cannot erase –
1. In less than six months, Governor Obiano recovered Anambra from kidnappers and armed robbers and made Anambra the safest state in Nigeria turning the once notorious Upper Iweka into an island of peace.

2. In less than one year, Governor Obiano attracted $2.4bn investments to Anambra State with Coscharis Farms, Ekcel Farms, Hyper Farms, UDIPPCO Limited, Richborn Auto Assembly Limited and West African International Market in Ogbunike already underway and creating jobs for Ndi Anambra.

3. Governor Obiano inherited internally generated revenue figure of N450m from Obi and in less than one year, raised it to N1.3bn thereby creating enough buffer to save the state from the shock of dwindling revenues from the centre.

4. Governor Obiano has effectively changed the landscape of Awka with three ultramodern flyovers nearing completion simultaneously.

5. Governor Obiano increased workers’ salaries by 15% at a time when other states are seeking for bailouts due to plummeting oil prices in the international market.

6. Anambra under Governor Obiano is one of the few states in Nigeria that is not on financial life-support from the Federal Government.

7. Anambra under Governor Obiano was the only state in Nigeria that paid workers salaries in the month of October this year without external assistance (this is verifiable).

8. Governor Obiano launched a comprehensive urban mass transit scheme and set up a modern water transport system to connect the riverine communities in one and half years of his regime.
9. Governor Obiano has concluded a comprehensive aerial mapping of the Awka Capital Territory and completed the designs of the new 21st century capital city that will become the pride of Ndi Anambra.

Above all, Governor Obiano achieved all these without touching the N9bn left behind in bank balances by the administration of former governor Peter Obi. Now, the time has come for well-meaning Nigerians to ask former governor Peter Obi ‘what exactly do you want?’

Thank you

James Eze
SSA Media to the Governor

Before now I've always known Obi to be conservative. For Obiano I think he's rather too funky as a Governor,and such could possibly require the person to be extravagant as well

kaybills:
Before now I've always known Obi to be conservative. For Obiano I think he's rather too funky as a Governor,and such could possibly require the person to be extravagant as well

what is the result of obi's conservatism when he left huge debts in the state. All na wash

Choi !!! 30 million on gold bed.

azimibraun:
Two of the wild's best at it...

mumu this is democracy! nobody is covering for his godfather!! we are not going back on biafra! you go and hang!!

One of them is lying,and,such person knows he is

Why not just print the accout statement at the close of business on March 17th for all to see....Then we will know who's been lying.

This washing of dirty linen in public is not so right. Obiano and Peter Obi

Obi inspite of all his imperfections never borrowed a dime for 8 years.He handed over a debt free state to Obiano who is too wasteful for my liking.Me thinks that he has depleted the entire money in anambra's reserve & is looking for an excuse to borrow by lashing out at Obi

Obi should have vetted this Obiano thoroughly before flinging him on the people of Anambra State. I always sensed he will be a failure not when every radio station in the state sang his praises or his pictures in every nook and cranny of Awka. I got really scared and now it is becoming a reality. I come from the same constituency with this man Obiano. Worthy candidates abound in this constituency and one wonders why Obi considered this man. Na wa.

Obiano's Loyalty has just been tested.

aariwa:
Obi inspite of all his imperfections never borrowed a dime for 8 years.He handed over a debt free state to Obiano who is too wasteful for my liking.Me thinks that he has depleted the entire money in anambra's reserve & is looking for an excuse to borrow by lashing out at Obi

Keep buying peter obi lies, obi borrowed hugely as has now been confirmed by Anamba State Government and he also left the state in over 100 billion naira debt.

obi, why wailing? No be your anointed person of interest that time?

APC is causing confusion in Anambra State . , lasisi69, 2015

End time APC

These Igbo politicians never learn.
godfatherism is bad market in Igboland,those politificians should allow us choose our leaders.
For the above reason'I say,Peter Obi ntoor and next is Ochendo vs Ikpeazu.

Chino aka spacetour, what is happening?
Do you abagworo to laught at us?

NgeneUkwenu:
This is what the Useless IPOB and The Biafra rats should be concerned about, but no....they rather want the entire Nigerian Army wiped by Boko Haram by their useless hero lost an election...

Ndi Ara!

wait your frequent insult on ndigbo will never make you appear bipartisan!
You can only hear this romantic lines "I like you because you do not behave like your people " that's all.
You can never be seen as a different person! you are still inyamiri and Omo ibo!! silence is more honorable than noise! be wise for once! enough of this your banter!!!