Adamawa retirees condemn Turkey training for LG chairmen’s wives

Adamawa map

Tension is brewing in Adamawa State following the decision of the local government chairmen to send their wives on a leadership training trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

The 21 wives, along with some senior officials of the Ministry of Local Government, reportedly departed the country last week for the programme, a move that has sparked outrage among workers and retirees who described it as wasteful and insensitive.

The Chairman of Toungo Local Government and state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Suleiman Toungo, confirmed the trip.

He defended the initiative, noting that council chairmen themselves had benefited from similar overseas training two months earlier.

“We did our training two months ago, so I do not see anything wrong in our wives going for training outside the country,” Toungo told The PUNCH. “They are our wives and we need their advice. We are looking at the importance of training them on leadership, not the cost.”

But workers and retirees disagreed, accusing the government of misplaced priorities at a time many of them are still awaiting their gratuities.

A 75-year-old retiree from Yola North Local Government, Abubakar Shehu, condemned the trip and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe what he described as a financial scandal. Punch