A financial handover document from former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has resurfaced, showing that the state had a reported net balance of about N86.67 billion at the end of his administration in March 2014.
The document, dated March 17, 2014, was addressed by Obi to his successor, the late Governor Willie Obiano, and contained a summary of Anambra State’s financial position as of the close of business on March 14, 2014, which Obi described as the final working day of his administration.
The report was brought back into public attention on Wednesday by Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, amid renewed debate over the loans, liabilities and other financial obligations inherited by successive administrations in the state. 
Breakdown of the Figures
According to the handover document, Obi reported N27 billion in local investments and US$156 million, valued at approximately N26.5 billion, in foreign currency investments.
The report also listed N28.17 billion in certified balances belonging to the state and its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
In addition, it included a N10 billion Federal Government-approved refund due to the state.
Together, the assets and funds listed in the report amounted to approximately N91.67 billion.
The document, however, also identified estimated liabilities of about N5 billion. These were said to cover March salaries, pensions, gratuities and approved certificates for projects that had already been executed.
After deducting the stated liabilities, the report arrived at a net balance of approximately N86.67 billion.
What Obi Said at Handover
In the covering letter accompanying the financial statement, Obi said the figures represented the financial position of Anambra State at the close of business on March 14, 2014.
He formally presented the document to Obiano as part of the transition process ahead of the change of administration.
The resurfacing of the report comes against the backdrop of a longstanding dispute over the financial position Obi left behind and the debts subsequently inherited by the Obiano administration and later governments.
Successive Anambra administrations have continued to deal with various financial obligations, including loans and commitments dating back to earlier administrations. The precise classification and responsibility for some of those obligations have remained subjects of political and public debate.
Obi has consistently rejected allegations that his administration left behind unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or unpaid obligations to contractors for projects that had been duly executed and certified.
The former governor has also challenged those disputing his account of the state’s finances at the point of his departure to produce documentary evidence contradicting his position.
Why the Document Matters
The 2014 handover statement has now become a significant document in the continuing argument over Anambra’s finances at the end of Obi’s tenure.
Its figures provide a snapshot of the assets, available funds and estimated liabilities that Obi’s administration said existed as of March 14, 2014.
However, the document by itself does not resolve broader questions about loans, contractual commitments or other obligations that may have been recorded separately or inherited across different administrations.
The renewed attention on the report therefore reflects a larger debate over what Anambra inherited in 2014, what subsequent governments borrowed or committed, and how the state’s financial position evolved under successive administrations.
For now, the handover document remains one of the key records being cited in the continuing dispute over Obi’s financial legacy in Anambra State.
