By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Anambra State Government has alleged that more than 200 workers of the state’s former Water Corporation died during Peter Obi’s administration after allegedly going without their salaries and other entitlements.
The claim was made on Monday by the Anambra State New Media Office, the official communication platform of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration, in a fresh attack on the former governor.
The government shared a video showing workers of the Water Corporation protesting over alleged unpaid salaries, pensions and other entitlements.
According to the state government, the workers were owed for several years during Obi’s tenure as governor between 2006 and 2014.
The government questioned Obi’s previous description of the Water Corporation as inactive, asking why funds were still allocated to the corporation during his administration.
It further alleged that money budgeted for the corporation was given to private contractors as loans, demanding an explanation for how the funds were utilised.
“Over 200 Anambra Water Corporation staff died under Peter Obi’s administration as a result of non-payment of entitlements,” the government alleged.
The latest accusation is part of the escalating dispute between Soludo and Obi over the financial record of the former governor’s administration.
Obi has repeatedly maintained that he left Anambra without outstanding salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractor liabilities. He has also challenged the Soludo administration to provide evidence to contradict his position.
The controversy over the Water Corporation is not new. In 2014, the National Industrial Court ordered the release of N1.5 billion for the payment of salary arrears owed to workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Contemporary reports on the case said the workers’ union had alleged that 232 workers died between 2006 and 2014.
However, the current figure and circumstances cited by the Soludo administration remain an allegation by the state government, and Obi has disputed the broader claims that his administration left unresolved liabilities.
The renewed exchange comes as both sides continue to present competing accounts of Anambra’s finances and obligations during Obi’s eight years in office.
