Duke Awotu-Ukiri

[Pat Utomi @UtomiPat]

When we speak about the possibility of a new Nigeria, we must look beyond political slogans and examine the records of those seeking to lead.

Peter Obi demonstrated in Anambra state that the government can be deliberate about education, healthcare and the management of public resources.

Under Peter Obi's administration classroom blocks were constructed across the state’s 177 communities, mission schools were returned to their churches, and Anambra rose to a high position in NECO results between 2011 and 2013. It was also in Peter Obi's administration that a state-owned teaching hospital which is the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital located at Awka was also established.

Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s record in Kano tells another important story. His administration invested heavily in education too, including thousands of classrooms, free feeding and uniforms for primary pupils, technical and vocational institutions, laboratories and scholarship programmes that supported a lot of young people in Kano state.

Both men have experience translating public policy into programmes that affect the lives of Nigerians in positive ways.

Peter Obi and Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso have chosen to work together because they found substantial common ground in their vision and mission for the good of Nigeria.

I believe Nigeria needs leadership that understands production, human capital, fiscal responsibility, education and opportunity.

If we are serious about moving Nigeria from poverty to prosperity, we should pay close attention to the possibilities created when experience, competence and a shared national vision come together.

The task before us is to build a Nigeria where the government works for the people and where every young Nigerian has a genuine opportunity to achieve greatness.

Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso are the ones best suited to lead the way forward.

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Yesterday, I spoke with ARISE News on the Anambra debt question and other issues affecting our nation.

In the interview, I clarified the facts surrounding the multilateral development funds accessed by Anambra State, the financial position I left behind in 2014, and the urgent need to focus on the hardships confronting Nigerians rather than on political distractions. I am Sharing this interview to correct factual details, clear all doubts, and put the issues in their proper perspective.

A new Nigeria where leaders are proud of their past is POssible. -PO

https://t.co/kvURszM91q

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

ON THE ANAMBRA DEBT QUESTION

I have remained silent over the past few days because I have been grieving the loss of my very dear elder brother and friend, Chief Okey Ezeibe. However, the time has come for me to address some of the matters that have occupied public discussion in recent days.

I respectfully urge everyone to concentrate on the existential challenges confronting Nigeria and the hardships endured by its citizens, rather than on the needless distractions that have become widespread in our politics.

I wish to assure the public that I have no disagreement with my dear elder brother, Governor Soludo, or with any governor in Nigeria. I am not seeking the office of governor in any state, and I will not seek that position again, even if the Constitution is amended.

Accordingly, I appeal to governors to support whichever presidential candidate they choose while also permitting and assisting other presidential candidates and contenders for other offices to campaign freely and without interruption in their states. Ultimately, voters should be allowed to determine whom they wish to serve them.

Regarding the multilateral funding inaccurately described as “debt owed by Peter Obi” in Anambra State, I wish to state unequivocally:

As Governor of Anambra State, I did not approach any financial institution to borrow funds or issue a bond on behalf of the state. Indeed, at his farewell ceremony, the then Director-General of the DMO, Abraham Nwankwo, appointed me chairman and declared that, during his 10 years in office, I was the only state governor who had not approached him for a loan facility.

When I left office, the Anambra State Government owed no unpaid salaries, gratuities, or pensions. Neither did it owe any contractor or supplier who had completed work that the government had verified and certified.

Regarding development financing from the World Bank, these are concessionary development-support funds secured by the Federal Government for states selected by it to address specific needs. Repayment is spread over 25 to 30 years.

The Anambra State Government must therefore differentiate among three separate figures: the total amount approved for the multiyear development program; the amount Anambra State actually drew during my tenure; and the funding balance outstanding when I handed over on 17 March 2014.

The government has combined these distinct categories, added them together, and described the resulting US$123.77 million as “loans left by Peter Obi.” That is an incorrect application of public-sector accounting.

The eight facilities identified were primarily World Bank and IFAD development programs negotiated by the Federal Government, with participating states receiving access to the funds through subsidiary arrangements. They were not conventional commercial loans that I personally secured during my tenure.

This does not suggest that Anambra had no repayment responsibilities; rather, each facility must be examined in light of its approval, effectiveness, drawdown, and repayment record.

The clearest contradiction appears in the government’s own figures. It states that the original facilities amounted to approximately US$123.77 million and that US$92.35 million remained outstanding in June 2026. However, the DMO’s published records showed Anambra’s total external debt at approximately US$18 million when I began my tenure in March 2006, about US$30 million in March 2014, when I left office, and approximately US$45.15 million as of 31 December 2014, nine months after my departure.

The Anambra State Government must therefore clarify how a state whose recorded external debt was about US$30 million in March 2014 and US$45.15 million in December 2014 could supposedly have inherited US$123.77 million from Peter Obi, who left office in March of that same year.

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Debunking the Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy

My attention has been drawn to trending claims by the Anambra State Government that my administration left behind inherited debts, including a ₦2 billion ecological loan, contractor liabilities, and unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions. This is completely false.

We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over ₦35 billion. At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified.

The ₦2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. Despite pressure to spend the money, I refused, insisting that it should be left for my successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project.

The money was therefore left 100 per cent intact in First Bank, in Account No. 2018779464, with a balance of over ₦2.13 billion.

It is important to stress that funds tied to specific projects or set aside for particular purposes were not even included in the over ₦75 billion in savings we left behind.

If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning. -PO

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@0DonaldTrumpJr1 48927

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@0ivankaTrump1 45283

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@0ivankaTrump1 9682

[Peter Obi @PeterObi]

Nigeria Has Everything It Needs to Prosper

Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining some presidential candidates and their representatives as a guest and panellist at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Our discussion focused on how to rebuild Nigeria and make it work for its resilient, hardworking, and long-suffering people.

I reiterated my long-held view that the poverty and hunger Nigerians face today are largely the result of years of mismanagement and corruption by leaders entrusted with our commonwealth.

With our vast human and natural resources, Nigeria has no business being associated with extreme poverty and hunger. We have no business importing food when we possess enormous agricultural potential.

With the right investment, policies, and political will, agriculture can become one of Nigeria’s greatest sources of wealth. Northern Nigeria’s vast farmland, in particular, can drive major economic transformation. If countries with fewer resources have transformed their agricultural sectors, Nigeria can feed itself, create millions of jobs, and export food to the world.

On fuel subsidy removal, I remain committed to the position I took in 2023: the subsidy system was riddled with corruption. My approach was to eliminate the corruption, establish the actual subsidy cost, and then carry out a carefully planned, phased removal.

Savings from subsidy removal should have been transparently invested in clearly defined, measurable development priorities, especially agriculture, healthcare, education, poverty reduction, and security. I remain convinced that subsidy removal must deliver real benefits to Nigerians; citizens should not bear higher energy costs while the savings remain unaccounted for or fail to improve their lives. Nigeria must focus its investments on what matters most: food security, healthcare, education, infrastructure, human capital, national security, and unity.

Nigeria has all it needs to prosper. What remains is competent, honest, and purposeful leadership that puts the common good above personal interests.

A New Nigeria is POssible, and Nigeria will be OK. -PO

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@elonmuskmel7 No: 5

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

[Ben Igbinosa @bosamuyi]

Another petrol filling station scene in Nigeria. No thanks to the federal government that has failed the people.

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@PastorEAAdeboye Happy birthday Daddy GO. More grace.

[Words of Wisdom @billionair_key]

The smile on my face does not mean my life is perfect. It means that despite my challenges, I choose to focus on my blessings.

[stevenfurtick @stevenfurtick]

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

Healthcare is the right of every single Nigerian, but too many don’t get to enjoy this right. Join me and @ONEinNigeria by signing the petition to #MakeNaijaStronger. https://t.co/IAht5QW4o4

[ode eyeoyibo @oaeyeoyibo]

Mighty praise belongs to you, O Lord!
We fulfil our vows
You answer our prayers.
We all come to you
You forgive our sins.
We are Joy filled
We abide in you
You faithfully answer our prayers.
You answer us with awesome deeds of power and righteousness.
You are hope of glory!

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@PDPVanguard Yes, awake to the new Nigeria. Peter Obi for President.

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

@ewomaau Happy birthday to you, more grace.

[Duke Awotu-Ukiri @DUKiri]

Healthcare is the right of every single Nigerian, but too many don’t get to enjoy this right. Join me and @ONEinNigeria by signing the petition to #MakeNaijaStronger. https://t.co/IAht5QW4o4

[Pastor John Hagee @PastorJohnHagee]

If good deeds could save us, Jesus died for no reason. The blood of Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.