35 million outstanding as of June 30, 2026. 77 million as debt he left behind. He argued that the figure represented the combined value of the facilities and should not be confused with the amount actually drawn or outstanding when he left office. 15 million by December 2014. ’ That is an incorrect application of public-sector accounting,” Obi reportedly said on Friday. Obi also argued that the facilities were primarily World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development programmes negotiated by the Federal Government and accessed by participating states through subsidiary arrangements.
What the handover document says The 2014 Anambra State Handover Report, dated March 17, 2014 and addressed to Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, provides a summary of the state’s financial position. The now viral document states that March 14, 2014 was the final working day of Obi’s administration. 165 billion; FGN-approved refund at ₦10 billion. 666 billion. The document also listed estimated liabilities of ₦5 billion, covering March salaries, pensions, gratuities and approved certificates for already executed projects. 666 billion. 77 million in external debt at the time Obi left office.
Findings A) The March 2014 DMO record could not be traced A check of the Debt Management Office database found that the specific state and FCT debt record for March 2014 was not accessible. The relevant search returned an “Error 404 — unavailable” response. Consequently, the exact amount of Anambra’s external debt on March 17, 2014, the day Obi handed over power, could not be independently established from a March 2014 DMO record. Therefore, Obi’s claim that the state’s external debt was about $30 million when he left office cannot be directly verified against a DMO record for that exact date. 40 as of December 31, 2013.
32 million, broadly consistent with Obi’s claim that the state’s external debt was about $30 million around the time he left office. 44. This is the closest available post-handover DMO figure. 04. 15 million cited by Obi in his response to the controversy. 58m The latest state-level external debt stock currently available from the DMO is for December 31, 2025. The December 2026 figure is not yet available because that date has not occurred. 24 as of December 31, 2025. 32 million recorded for Anambra as of December 31, 2013.
However, the 2025 figure relates to the state’s debt position more than 11 years after Obi left office and cannot, by itself, establish the amount of debt inherited from his administration. 77 million cited by the Anambra Government represents the combined contracted value of eight external borrowing facilities associated with projects executed during Obi’s administration. 77 million as Anambra’s outstanding external debt around the time Obi left office. This distinction is important because the original or contracted value of a facility is not necessarily the same as the amount actually drawn or the outstanding balance at a particular date. 77 million.
77 million as Anambra’s outstanding external debt when Peter Obi left office. 58 million as of December 31, 2025. The precise March 17, 2014 figure remains unavailable in the accessible DMO records. 32 million because the specific March 2014 DMO record could not be traced. 77 million should not be presented as the documented outstanding external debt Anambra inherited from Obi in March 2014. At the same time, the evidence does not establish that Obi left the state completely debt-free.