The Anambra State Government has refuted recent claims by former Governor Peter Obi that SABMiller, a multinational beverage company, was the state’s highest taxpayer during his administration.
The state government described Obi’s assertions as misleading and lacking in factual accuracy, urging the public to disregard what it termed “half-truths.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Chairman of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AiRS), Dr. Greg U. Ezeilo, noted that the claim is misleading and not supported by data.
Dr. Ezeilo clarified that while the state has recorded substantial growth in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)—from a low of ₦1.5 billion to ₦2.0 billion monthly in previous years to a consistent ₦4 billion per month and a peak of ₦10.5 billion in May 2025—the top corporate taxpayers list tells a different story.
A review of the last two years’ tax data, excluding federal institutions but covering all corporate bodies including SABMiller, shows that SABMiller company comes in a distant sixth position behind Fidelity Bank Plc with a gross tax payment of N656.5M in two years (2023 and 2024).
Dr. Ezeilo stated that SABMiller is not the highest taxpayer in the state, and it is essential that the public is presented with unfiltered facts.
The AiRS chairman stated that the clarification was necessary to address public inquiries and correct any misconceptions that may have arisen from the former governor’s statement.
The statement read, “The attention of the Service has been drawn to some public domain of claims regarding the fact that SABMiller Breweries is the highest taxpayer in the State.
“For the avoidance of doubts, while the Service has made very monumental strides in increasing the internally generally revenue of the State from its very low ebb of between 1.5B to 2.0B per month, and even much lower in the previous years; the tax collection has consistently moved up to 4B per month and with an all-time high of 10.5B in the month of May, 2025.
“A double-check on the last two years data (see table below) on tax collections across corporate bodies including SABMiller but excluding Federal Institutions which contribute hugely to the State’s IGR, especially the pay as you earn (PAYE) taxes, showed the position of the top 6 taxpayers in the State.
“Interestingly, SABMiller company comes a distant sixth position behind Fidelity bank Plc with a gross tax payment of N656.5M in two years (2023 and 2024). In this sense, the claim can be dismissed with a wave of hand as the company in question contributed on the average, N28M per month in 2023 and N26.62M per month in 2024.
“The above clarifications became necessary to properly situate the claims made by the former governor and to give undiluted information for the members of the public to note,” Ezeilo added.
“Additionally, there’s the need to provide answers to certain public inquiries either to prove or disprove the claims as published in the media. Please accept the esteemed assurances of the Service.”
During an interview on Arise News in June, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, Obi, said the Intafact Beverages Limited brewery in Onitsha—commonly known as the SABMiller brewery—remains the state’s single largest source of revenue and a major contributor to local employment.
“If I 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 earner in Anambra State is our brewery.”
WARNING: If You Are Not 18+, Don’t Click The Link Below 👇🫣
https://abnormalitylovingmammal.com/kx6iepv2qm?key=6c14bd1d68e1eba721851f19778f5efe
https://poawooptugroo.com/4/8902554
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.
Never Miss A Single News Or Gist, Kindly Join Us On WhatsApp Channel:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vad8g81Eawdsio6INn3B
Telegram Channel:
https://t.me/gistsmateNG
