The Anambra State Government has released an official document approving N363.381m for the second tranche of salary arrears owed to workers, pensioners and next of kin linked to the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency.
The disclosure comes amid an ongoing dispute between Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration and former Governor Peter Obi over the financial obligations inherited from the former governor’s eight-year tenure.
The document, dated May 24, 2025, shows that the then Head of Service, Dame Theodora Okwy Igwegbe, sought approval from Soludo for the release of the funds in line with a 2024 out-of-court settlement.
The settlement was reached on February 6, 2024, between the state government and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees over outstanding entitlements involving workers, pensioners and next of kin of the defunct agencies.
According to the document, the N363.381m represented the second tranche due for payment in 2026. It was to be processed through the state government payroll system using a dedicated account.
The disclosure was made by the Anambra State New Media Office in a post on X on Friday.
The latest development followed Obi’s recent assertion that he left office in 2014 without owing salaries, gratuities or pensions to workers scheduled to be paid by the state government.
Obi also disputed claims that his administration borrowed money or issued bonds on behalf of Anambra during his tenure, arguing that some facilities associated with the state were concessionary multilateral support arranged through the Federal Government.
The Soludo administration has maintained that it inherited outstanding liabilities from previous governments, including salary, pension and gratuity arrears. It has said it has cleared about N22bn in inherited gratuity arrears, while other legacy obligations remained.
The state government has also previously said arrears involving workers of the defunct Water Corporation were settled under Soludo through instalment payments.
The newly released document confirms the existence of the 2024 settlement and the approval process for the N363.381m second tranche, but does not independently establish when all the underlying arrears accrued or which administration was responsible for them.
Discussion0