FACT CHECK: How True Is Governor Soludo’s Claim That A Brewery Was Only Project Commissioned During Presidents Visits When Peter Obi Was Governor?

By Daniel Otera

In May, during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s official visit to Anambra State, Governor Charles Soludo made a claim while addressing a crowd at the commissioning of state projects. He said: “The last time a President visited Anambra to commission any project was in 2012, and it was for a brewery.” The event was aired live by Channels TV and other broadcast outlets. Peter Obi served as Governor of Anambra State from March 2006 to March 2014, though his tenure included interruptions due to legal and political disputes.

Peter Obi first assumed office as Governor on 17 March 2006, after being declared winner of the 2003 governorship election in the State.  Grassroots Check subjected the statement to critical scrutiny, cross-referencing it with official records, historical reports, and project data from 2012.

A comprehensive archival review by Grassroots Check confirms that in August 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan visited Anambra during Peter Obi’s tenure as governor. One major highlight of the visit was indeed the commissioning of SABMiller’s Hero’s Lager brewery in Onitsha. However, official records and reputable news archives from the period show that Jonathan’s visit included several other project inaugurations. According to a 30 August 2012 report by Vanguard Newspaper and further corroborated by Premium Times and The Nation, Jonathan also commissioned: the Onitsha River Port, Orange Drugs Limited, Krisoral Group’s chemical manufacturing facility. Orient Petroleum Resources Plc, which signalled Anambra’s formal entry into the league of oil-producing states.

These projects were flagged off in partnership with the Anambra State government and the private sector, with the aim of industrialising the state and increasing its internally generated revenue. President Jonathan, during the visit, said: “Anambra is gradually becoming a reference point for investment in the South-East. The state is creating an enabling environment and we’re seeing the results.” Governor Obi was at Jonathan’s side for every event. Therefore, the brewery was just one among multiple economic projects commissioned during that 2012 visit.

Beyond the Peter Obi years, Grassroots Check also finds that President Muhammadu Buhari visited Anambra State on 19 May 2023 to commission multiple healthcare projects at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi. Official statements from the presidency and hospital management show Buhari inaugurated the following: Specialty Building, Medical Ward Complex, Accident & Emergency Complex. Mother & Child Centre, Molecular Laboratory, Paediatric Emergency Building, Surgical Ward Complex, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) infrastructure, Oxygen Plant and Cryogenic Oxygen Production Unit, Groundbreaking for the Igwe Orizu International ICT Centre. These were significant federally executed health infrastructure developments, fully commissioned by the sitting president.

Contrary to the claim that only a brewery was commissioned by a visiting President during his governorship, Grassroots Check found that under Obi’s administration, Anambra became an oil-producing state, a river port was revived, and industrial plants opened

VERDICT: FALSE

Grassroots Check finds that Governor Soludo’s statement that “the last time a president visited Anambra to commission any project was in 2012, and it was for a brewery” is false and misleading.