₦airaland Forum

The agency made the clarification in a post on its official X handle on Thursday.

According to the agency, SABMiller comes a distant sixth position behind Fidelity Bank Plc with a gross tax payment of N656.5 million in two years (2023 and 2024).

AIRS stressed that Obi’s claim should be dismissed with a wave of hand as SABMiller contributed on the average, N28 million per month in 2023 and N26.62 million per month in 2024.

The Anambra State Internal Revenue Service said the clarification became necessary to properly situate the claims and to give undiluted information for members of the public to take note.

It added that there’s the need to provide answers to certain public inquiries either to prove or disprove the claims as published in the media.

“The attention of the Service has been drawn to some public domain of claims regarding the fact that SABMiller Breweries is the highest taxpayer in the state.

“For the avoidance of doubts, while the Service has made very monumental strides in increasing the internally generally revenue of the State from its very low ebb of between N1.5 billion to N2.0 billion per month, and even much lower in the previous years; the tax collection has consistently moved up to N4 billion per month and with an all-time high of N10.5 billion in the month of May, 2025.

“Interestingly, SABMiller comes a distant sixth position behind Fidelity bank Plc with a gross tax payment of N656.5 million in two years (2023 and 2024). In this sense, the claim can be dismissed with a wave of hand as the company in question contributed on the average, N28 million per month in 2023 and N26.62 million per month in 2024,” the agency said.

Claim:
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and Labour Party presidential candidate, claimed in a June 2025 interview with ARISE News that Intafact Beverages Limited (commonly referred to as SABMiller Brewery), which was established during his tenure, is “the biggest revenue earner” in Anambra State and the largest contributor to the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

Verdict:
False. Data from the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AiRS) contradicts Obi’s claim. SABMiller/Intafact Beverages ranked sixth among corporate taxpayers in the state between 2023 and 2024, far behind top financial institutions in terms of revenue contribution.

Full Fact Check:
In an interview broadcast by ARISE News, Peter Obi highlighted his administration’s investment in the brewery as a major economic success, saying: “The biggest revenue earner in Anambra State is our brewery… That brewery is employing at least directly 500 Anambra people… giving food to over 5,000 Anambrarians.”

He also stated that the state-owned stake in the brewery remains the most impactful government investment to date.
However, this narrative is directly challenged by figures released by the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AiRS).

According to AiRS Chairman Dr Greg U. Ezeilo, a comprehensive review of corporate tax records between 2023 and 2024 shows that:
The top five taxpayers in Anambra were commercial banks, with Fidelity Bank Plc leading the list.

SABMiller/Intafact Beverages contributed a total of N656.5 million over the two years: N336 million in 2023 (an average of N28 million monthly) and N320.5 million in 2024 (an average of N26.6 million monthly).

In contrast, Fidelity Bank Plc alone contributed a total of N1.529 billion during the same period: N747 million in 2023 (an average of N62.2 million monthly) and N782 million in 2024 (an average of N65.1 million monthly).

The AiRS document added:
“SABMiller company comes a distant sixth position behind Fidelity Bank Plc… the claim can be dismissed with a wave of the hand.”

Additionally, the Service emphasised that federal institutions, especially those remitting Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax, remain the biggest contributors to the state’s internally generated revenue, not private companies like SABMiller.

While Obi’s administration indeed facilitated the establishment of the brewery through a N2 billion investment for a 10 percent equity stake in 2012, the claim that it is the largest source of Anambra’s revenue is not supported by official tax data.

Verdict:
SABMiller has contributed to job creation and local investment, but tax records from Anambra’s revenue agency confirm that it is not the highest revenue source for the state nor the highest corporate taxpayer. Therefore, Peter Obi’s claim is false.

agentNija:
Hatred of Obi will choke Soludo if he continues like this.

mrvitalis:
But it's the highest paying local company in Anambra
Fidelity is still linked to whom? Obi?

mrvitalis:
But it's the highest paying local company in Anambra
Fidelity is still linked to who? Obi?

1Alex:
The report did not say Sabmiller is the highest, it says that Sabmiller is the highest indigenous tax-payer. Others mentioned are not indigenous to Anambra.

ukukaegbu:
The soludo government ended up shooting themselves in the foot.

I don't know why he hates obi

sleek214:
Soludo does not hate Obi, Soludo hates Obi lies...
The babalawo wey do the charms for Obi strong walahi, despite all his lies and unintelligent views, about 6 million people still see him as their Messiah..