Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has said he could have stolen N36 billion and $150 million while in office, but chose not to.
He made the comment on Sunday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, said he left the funds in the state’s coffers when he completed his tenure as governor. According to him, someone who planned to steal would not leave such money untouched.
“I left 36 billion naira I would have stolen, I left $150 million I would have stolen,” he said. “So when they talk about the Panama Papers, I say go and investigate it in full.”
He was responding to claims that he is corrupt, including his name appearing in the Panama Papers, a global report that exposed individuals linked to offshore accounts.
Obi also spoke on his efforts while in office and said his government focused on improving education, healthcare and rural roads in Anambra. He insisted that he kept his promises to the people when he was governor.
“Everything I’ve said as governor when I was campaigning, I said I will fix education. I said children will never be out of school. I can show you improvement in education,” he said.
He added, “I said we are going to deal with health. We did not have one single school of nursing… by the time I left office, we had more schools of nursing.”
Obi stressed that tackling corruption begins with the leader. “When you’re not stealing, your wife is not stealing, your family is not stealing, then you set the standard,” he said.
He also stated that he is ready to face full investigation and prove his integrity, urging Nigerians to hold public officials accountable through facts, not just allegations.
