“SABMiller Is Not Anambra’s Biggest Taxpayer” — Soludo Administration Counters Peter Obi’s Claim

The administration of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has refuted recent comments by former Governor Peter Obi, who claimed that SABMiller, a multinational beverage company operating as Intafact Beverages in Onitsha, was the state’s highest taxpayer during his tenure.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Chairman of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AiRS), Dr. Greg U. Ezeilo, described Obi’s assertion as misleading and unsupported by current tax records. According to Dr. Ezeilo, a review of corporate tax contributions for 2023 and 2024 shows that SABMiller ranks sixth on the list of top taxpayers in the state, not first as claimed.

“The attention of the Service has been drawn to claims in the public domain suggesting that SABMiller Breweries is the highest taxpayer in the state,” Ezeilo said. “For the avoidance of doubt, available data does not support that claim. SABMiller is not Anambra’s biggest taxpayer.”

He explained that although the state has seen consistent growth in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)—rising from a historic low of ₦1.5 billion to ₦2 billion monthly in previous years, to ₦4 billion monthly, with a record high of ₦10.5 billion in May 2025—SABMiller’s contributions remain comparatively modest. The company paid a total of ₦656.5 million in taxes over the two-year period, averaging ₦28 million per month in 2023 and ₦26.62 million in 2024.

The highest taxpayer over that period, according to AiRS data, was Fidelity Bank Plc, among other corporate bodies. Federal institutions, which contribute significantly to the state’s IGR—particularly through Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) deductions—were excluded from the analysis.

Ezeilo said the clarification became necessary following public inquiries and widespread media coverage of Obi’s comments. “The above clarifications became necessary to properly situate the claims made by the former governor and to provide undiluted information to the public,” he said.

Peter Obi, who served as governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014 and was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, made the claim during a recent interview on Arise News. He stated that the SABMiller brewery was the state’s single largest revenue source and credited its presence to his administration’s business development efforts.

“If I tell you what I suffered for that brewery to be built in Anambra State, you will not believe it,” Obi said. “The biggest revenue earner in Anambra State is our brewery.”

However, the Soludo-led administration is urging the public to disregard what it described as “half-truths,” insisting that public discourse should be guided by verified data and not political nostalgia.