By Lawrence Nwimo, Awka.
The newly-inaugurated Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, has disclosed that his government inherited billions of naira debt from the administration of his predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano.
Soludo who spoke on Arise TV News interview on Tuesday morning, stated that based on the audit report of the state as at December 31, 2021, published by Obiano, “Anambra is saddled with a debt of about N109bn and cash in the banks, about N400m.”
The former governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, explained that the debts did not include debts arising from matured certificates of completion owed to contractors, “and what may have happened or changed between 31st December 2021 and 17th March 2022.”
Continuing, Soludo said: “In terms of debt I inherited, it runs into hundreds of billions of Naira.
“In that of cash, we met about 300 million Naira only. In fact, let’s not talk about it.
” Our treasury is funny. But I hope we shall make money henceforth to help us fulfill our promises for infrastructure and development of the state.
“In terms of what I met in our coffers, my brother, it’s pathetic. Please let us not go there. God will help us”.
The immediate past governor, Obiano, accompanied by his wife, Ebelechukwu, was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International airport on their way out of the country to Houston, Texas in the United States, hours after handing over to Professor Chukwuma Soludo as governor on Thursday.
Obiano who has reportedly been on the anti-graft agency’s watchlist for months has spent five days in the EFCC custody as the body still investigates his financial improprieties while in office as Governor.
