The Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) has refuted a recent claim by former Governor Peter Obi that SABMiller Breweries is the highest tax-paying company in the state.
Obi made the assertion during an interview with Channels Television, citing SABMiller — established during his administration — as a major contributor to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
However, in a statement titled “Peter Obi on SABMiller Breweries — Facts and Figures,” signed by the AIRS Chairman, Greg Ezeilo, the agency stated that the brewery is not among the top five tax contributors in Anambra.
“For the avoidance of doubts, while the Service has made very monumental strides in increasing the Internally Generated 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, with an all-time high of ₦10.5B in the month of May 2025,” the statement read.
According to the revenue data provided for 2023 and 2024, Fidelity Bank Plc was identified as the top corporate taxpayer during the period, while SABMiller ranked sixth. The brewery reportedly paid ₦656.5 million in taxes over the two years — an average of ₦28 million per month in 2023 and ₦26.62 million in 2024.
“This clearly puts to rest the claim that SABMiller is the state’s highest taxpayer,” the statement added.
“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.”
The revenue board said the clarification was also in response to public inquiries sparked by Obi’s comments, and reiterated the agency’s commitment to transparency in tax administration.
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