Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi has defended his administration’s investment in the state’s brewery, insisting it remains a major economic asset despite criticisms.
In an interview on Monday with Arise News anchor Rufai Oseni, Obi recounted the challenges he faced attracting investment to Anambra, particularly in establishing the brewery, which he said has become the state’s largest revenue earner.
“If I ever tell you what I suffered for that brewery to be built in Anambra State, you will not believe it,” Obi said. “I had to go out trying to attract business to Anambra State. The biggest revenue source for Anambra today is that brewery.”
Responding to claims that the government’s stake in the brewery had depreciated, Obi dismissed the criticism. “Thank you very much. I wish other people in Nigeria invested in something that went down. That’s not smart,” he said sarcastically.
According to Obi, the brewery directly employs at least 500 Anambra residents and supports the livelihoods of over 5,000 others, including distributors and truck drivers.
He criticised the negative perception surrounding the investment, contrasting it with similar ventures in other states.
“They have the biggest brewery in Ogun State. Have you ever heard anybody say in Ogun State, oh, the brewery is this?” he said.
Obi also responded to recent criticisms suggesting his administration contributed to rising poverty in the state, with some accusing him of lacking the moral right to speak on poverty reduction.
“You are talking about a narrow interest, a narrow assessment. Go and look at Nigerian Competitive Index,” he replied, citing international development benchmarks. “Before I was governor in 2006, and after I came back from impeachment in 2007, I was effectively governor until 2014 — seven years.”
He noted that Nigeria, being a signatory to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, had global standards to measure development progress.
“By the time I ended in 2014, Anambra State under me was number one. It was UNDP that measured it, not me. I was even invited to the United Nations to come and give a speech on what we did,” Obi claimed.
The former governor emphasised improvements in education and health during his tenure and urged doubters to consult donor agencies and experts who worked on poverty reduction at the time.
“Ask everybody — the only thing I didn’t do well, Rufai, is that I wasn’t in the media. I wasn’t going about paying media people, advertising myself,” he said.
Obi concluded by stressing his simplicity and closeness to the people.
“I live in Anambra today. The only place I have a house in my name is in Anambra State. I’m inviting you — any day in Anambra State — let’s walk the streets. And people will tell you who this man is,” he said.
