The decision to send the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa state on a “leadership training” trip to Istanbul, Turkey, has triggered a storm of anger among workers, retirees, and even within the ranks of the council bosses themselves.
The trip, which reportedly included senior officials of the Ministry of Local Government, is being described as insensitive and wasteful at a time when pensioners are still waiting for gratuities and workers struggle with unpaid entitlements.
Suleiman Toungo, chairman of Toungo Local Government and the Adamawa state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), defended the move. According to him, there is “nothing wrong” with the wives travelling abroad for training since the chairmen themselves benefitted from a similar programme just two months ago.
“They are our wives and we need their advice. We are looking at the importance of training them on leadership, not the cost,” Toungo argued.
But that explanation has done little to calm public outrage. Instead, it has opened up fissures among the chairmen. One council boss from northern Adamawa, who asked not to be named, told PUNCH he was blindsided by the trip.
“I was sleeping when I got a call from an ALGON official asking for my wife’s details for a visa. That was the first time I heard of the project. Nobody consulted me. This is simply an abuse of public funds,” he said.
That revelation has added a new layer to the controversy, raising questions about how the trip was packaged and who actually signed off on it. Critics say the lack of consultation reflects a deeper governance problem in the state’s local government system.
Retirees and labour unions in Adamawa state are the most vocal opponents. A 75-year-old pensioner from Yola North, Abubakar Shehu, condemned the trip as a “mockery of democracy.” He questioned the basis of flying council chairmen’s spouses to Istanbul in the first place.
“What is the leadership position of local government chairmen’s wives? Even the wife of the governor is not sent abroad for leadership training. This is nothing but corruption,” Shehu said, calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to step in.
Another retiree, who declined to be named, urged Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to take a firm stand by handing the matter over to anti-graft agencies. “If the state government wants to preserve its image, this scandal must be investigated,” he said.
The outrage comes against the backdrop of Adamawa’s pension struggles. Earlier this year, the state government approved N8 billion to settle arrears, yet many retirees say they have seen little progress. To them, the Istanbul trip is a slap in the face.
Beyond the outrage, the incident has revived debate over the pitfalls of local government autonomy. Critics argue that without tighter oversight, funds meant for development risk being diverted into pet projects and frivolous expenditures. “Some of these wives did not even complete primary school, yet they are being flown to Istanbul in the name of leadership training,” one retired staffer said in frustration.
For now, labour groups are mobilising pressure on anti-corruption agencies to investigate the spending. Whether that happens or not, the Istanbul junket has already cast a long shadow over Adamawa’s councils—revealing not just public anger, but also cracks within ALGON itself.
