The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at local government chairmen in Adamawa State after reports emerged that their wives were flown to Turkey for a so-called leadership training.
According to reports, 21 wives of LGA chairmen, along with top officials from the state ministry of local government, travelled to Istanbul last week. The trip was organised under the banner of equipping the women with “leadership skills.”
Suleiman Toungo, chairman of Toungo LGA and head of ALGON in the state, defended the trip, saying it would enable their spouses to “offer useful advice on governance.”
But Obi was unimpressed. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), he called it a “wasteful use of scarce public funds” and estimated the cost at ₦600 million.
“Mockery of Governance” – Obi
Obi argued that the money could have been better spent on tackling Adamawa’s many challenges, especially in education and poverty reduction.
He noted that while some children in the state are still out of school and classrooms are grossly inadequate, public resources are being poured into what he described as frivolities.
“Such money, if directed at women micro-credit, would uplift 6,000 women entrepreneurs across the 21 LGAs,” Obi said. “The same amount could have built 30 blocks of classrooms, impacting countless children.”
Obi also stressed that local government funds belong to the people, teachers, pensioners, market women, and farmers; not to private individuals who hold no public office.
A Call for Prudent Leadership
The former Anambra governor commended Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for ongoing infrastructure projects in Yola but warned that Adamawa urgently needs investment in basic education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.
For Obi, the Turkey trip represents more than poor judgment; it is “a mockery of governance” at a time when Nigerians are grappling with hardship.
