A former Commissioner for Finance in Abia State, Obinna Oriaku (Ekwedike), has accused Governor Alex Otti’s administration of manipulating debt repayment figures submitted to the Debt Management Office (DMO) in Abuja.
Oriaku, in a detailed statement, claimed the state government ignored the external loan component of $107 million in its analysis, focusing only on a selective reduction in domestic debt. He pointed to a DMO report from September 2024 showing Abia’s total domestic debt at N89 billion, questioning how the government arrived at a claimed repayment of N142 billion.
“What are the domestic debt repayments that gulped the N142 billion?” Oriaku asked. He argued that no known contractor from previous administrations has been paid, and the government itself acknowledges a N65 billion gratuity liability.
He also alleged that over 35% of verified pensioners are not being paid, with some owed since November 2023. Oriaku further questioned where Abia’s N1.6 trillion in revenue (as of March 2026) has gone, pointing to low worker salaries and a lack of iconic infrastructure projects.
However, a rebuttal by Prof. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke for Abia ThinkTank News defended the government, arguing that Abia is on a “measurable path of debt reduction, exposure control, and fiscal rebalancing” under difficult macroeconomic conditions.
The state government has yet to officially respond to Oriaku’s specific allegations. The DMO has not commented on the matter.
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