Outgoing Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi has said he will not join issues with Dr. Chris Ngige over allegations that Anambra is heavily indebted to local and foreign banks.
Speaking to journalists, Obi said, ” I will not talk about the issue of money with Chris Ngige. He is a doctor and doesn’t know anything about economics.”
He added, “I have never borrowed a kobo from any of the Nigerian banks. Anambra State government has not borrowed a kobo from any Nigeria bank. We have not also borrowed from any foreign bank. Let me tell you, when I came here I found out why we were failing. There was no gratuity account; no pension account; there was no savings. I passed a law that Anambra State Government must at least save N100 million a month and invest same on the future of our children since we have defined statutory allocation. Truth is that the oil money cannot last forever and it behooves a state to save.”
Obi said the state had been saving N100 million monthly and now had over N20 billion in savings.
“There is something we call diminishing asset. If you have an asset that may one day disappear what you do is to resort to a lot of savings so that you can have alternative. So we said that we must save and leave at least N100 million every month. That’s how we raised the fund we invested in Orient Petroleum, the Brewery in Onitsha. That’s how we did it and today I can tell you we have been able to save over N20 billion.”
Speaking on his achievements in office, Governor Obi said he was the first Governor in the South East to buy cars for Permanent Secretaries as well as implement minimum wage.
“Permanent secretaries never had new cars. Civil servants were not sent on training. There was no welfare package. When I came on board, I was the first person in the whole of South-East to give permanent secretaries cars. It was not there before I came. I increased their salaries twice even before the issue of the N18,000 minimum wage. Anambra State was the seventh State in Nigeria to implement minimum wage as stated by the law – that the least worker be paid N18,000.00. There is nobody, no worker in Anambra State that earns less than N18,000.00”