When former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, took the stage at All Saints Cathedral field in Onitsha last Friday, his words weren’t just campaign rhetoric—they were a pointed reminder of governance rooted in impact. Speaking at the Labour Party’s flag-off event for its 2025 gubernatorial candidate, Dr George Moghalu, Obi pointed to the brewery he attracted to the state during his tenure as a model for developmental governance.
“You might have heard them say I only built a brewery,” he said calmly. “But that brewery today employs thousands and contributes the highest tax of any indigenous company in Anambra.”
That claim has now been backed by data from StatiSense, a renowned digital analytics firm. In a post made on X, the firm released the top six companies driving Anambra State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2024. While the leading names were unsurprisingly Nigerian banks, SABMiller Breweries—established under Obi’s watch—stood tall as the highest indigenous contributor, paying ₦319.52 million in taxes.
The Top 6 IGR Contributors in Anambra (2024):
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First Bank — ₦1.306 billion
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Zenith Bank — ₦1.051 billion
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Access Bank — ₦1.093 billion
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United Bank for Africa — ₦1.050 billion
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Fidelity Bank — ₦756.84 million
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International Breweries (SABMiller) — ₦319.52 million ✅ (highest indigenous)
This ranking doesn’t just affirm Obi’s governance style—it challenges a prevailing narrative that mocks infrastructure projects without looking at their economic ripple effects. “You don’t tax poor traders to fund governance,” Obi said. “You support them. It’s industries like SABMiller that you tax—and they can afford to pay because they create jobs.”
Indeed, the brewery has become more than a factory. It’s a case study in how one strategic investment can generate both employment and sustainable government revenue. In a time when many states struggle with lean IGR and over-reliance on federal allocations, Obi’s brewery stands as a counter-model: build for the long term, and the benefits will multiply.
Critics have tried to compare it with newer entertainment spots like the Fun City amusement park. Obi, however, was quick to draw the line: “Compare the two. Which one feeds families and pays taxes? Which one scales impact?”
For many watching the Anambra elections unfold, this resurgence of data-driven debate around Peter Obi’s legacy could influence voter sentiment—not just around the Labour Party’s flagbearer, but also in how citizens demand evidence-based governance moving forward.
As one X user commented under StatiSense’s post: “We need more ‘only breweries’ if they pay this much and employ this many people.”
Indeed.
