Adamawa State has been thrown into controversy following revelations that 21 wives of local government chairmen have embarked on a government-sponsored leadership training trip to Istanbul, Turkey, a move that has drawn widespread criticism from workers, pensioners, and civil society groups.
According to reports, the spouses, accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Local Government, left Nigeria last week for the overseas programme said to be aimed at equipping them with skills to “assist” and “advise” their husbands in governance. The trip comes barely two months after the chairmen themselves attended a similar foreign training session.
Confirming the development, Suleiman Toungo, Chairman of Toungo Local Government and head of the Adamawa branch of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), defended the decision.
“We did our training two months ago, so I do not see anything wrong in our wives going for training outside the country. They are our wives and we need their advice. We are looking at the importance of training them on leadership, not the cost,” Toungo told The Punch.
However, the trip has provoked angry reactions across the state, with many describing it as wasteful and insensitive in the face of mounting economic hardship. Workers and retirees accused the council leaders of misplaced priorities, noting that many pensioners are still awaiting gratuity payments while basic services remain underfunded.
A 75-year-old retiree from Yola North, Abubakar Shehu, denounced the training as “corruption and a mockery of democracy,” calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the expenditure.
“What is the leadership position of local government chairmen’s wives? Even the wife of the governor is not sent abroad for leadership training,” he said.
Another retired staff member, who spoke anonymously, urged Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to order a probe to protect the integrity of his administration.
“Some of these wives did not even complete primary school, yet they are being flown to Istanbul in the name of leadership training,” he lamented.
The controversy deepened when a council chairman from northern Adamawa revealed that his wife was included on the trip without his knowledge or consent.
“I was asleep when an ALGON official called, asking for my wife’s details to process a visa. That was the first I heard of the initiative. It’s a blatant misuse of public resources,” he said.
Workers’ unions and civic groups have joined calls for anti-corruption agencies to investigate the spending, describing the trip as a slap in the face to underpaid employees and neglected pensioners. As the debate rages, the state government is yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
