Twenty-one wives of local government chairmen in Adamawa State are facing backlash after traveling to Istanbul, Turkey, for a week-long leadership training program. Their trip has sparked outrage because local government workers and retirees have reportedly gone months without receiving salaries and pensions.
The training, which began last week, was described as an initiative to equip the women with skills to “assist and advise” their husbands in leadership. Senior officials from the Ministry of Local Government also joined the trip. Organizers framed the program as part of capacity-building efforts linked to recent local government autonomy reforms.
However, the initiative has been widely condemned as “extravagant and poorly timed.” From September 22 to 24, social media debates dominated discussions, with many Nigerians questioning why the training was held abroad and demanding explanations about the source of funding. Some critics pointed out that even the state governor’s wife had not taken part in such a program, while one unnamed local government chairman from northern Adamawa publicly distanced himself from the decision.
Workers’ unions, pensioners, and online commentators accused the participants of wasting public funds during a period of economic hardship. Pressure is now mounting on the state government to probe the funding, which critics allege came from local government allocations. So far, neither the Adamawa State Government nor the state’s Local Government Association has issued an official response.
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