Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential hopeful for the 2023 elections, has openly condemned the local government chairmen in Adamawa State for funding a trip abroad for their spouses under the pretext of leadership training.
Last week, the wives of 21 local government chairmen, along with senior officials from the state’s ministry of local government, reportedly traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, to participate in a leadership development program.
Suleiman Toungo, who chairs Toungo LGA and leads the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Adamawa, defended the initiative, explaining that since the chairmen themselves have undergone leadership training, it was deemed necessary for their wives to receive similar instruction to better support governance through informed counsel.
However, Obi took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday to denounce the trip as an extravagant misuse of limited public funds.
He highlighted that the approximately ₦600 million spent on this overseas excursion could have been redirected towards critical sectors such as enhancing basic education, constructing classrooms, or empowering women entrepreneurs within the state.
Obi stated: “It is deeply troubling to learn that public money was used to sponsor the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa State to travel to Turkey under the guise of leadership training.
“Meanwhile, children in basic education-whose welfare is the responsibility of local governments-are either out of school or attending classes without adequate facilities and teachers. Pensioners at the local government level are likely owed arrears, and educators continue to face economic hardships. To allocate scarce resources to foreign trips for spouses who hold no official public position, at an estimated cost of ₦600 million, is both irresponsible and disheartening.
“While I commend Governor Fintiri and his administration for their infrastructural efforts in Yola, Adamawa remains in dire need of investment in vital areas such as education, healthcare, and poverty reduction. Redirecting these funds to women’s microcredit schemes-providing an average of ₦100,000 to each woman-led small business-could empower approximately 6,000 women across the state, with about 300 beneficiaries per local government area. This approach would yield far greater benefits than the current expenditure on frivolous foreign trips.
“Specifically, the education sector cannot afford to lose such a substantial sum. The ₦600 million could have financed the construction of roughly 30 blocks of six classrooms each, at an average cost of ₦20 million per block, thereby positively impacting countless children and communities.
“Governance must return to being prudent and people-centered. Local government funds are meant to serve the market woman, the farmer, the teacher, the pensioner, and every ordinary citizen relying on government for essential services. Anything less constitutes an abuse of office and must not be tolerated. This is not only a blatant example of wastefulness but also a mockery of the fundamental purpose of governance.”
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