Twenty-one wives of Local Government (LG) Chairmen from Adamawa State have traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, for a week-long leadership training program aimed at equipping them to “assist and advise” their husbands in their roles as LG chairmen.
A Facebook posting by the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor of Adamawa on Media and Communications, George Kushi, reported the SSA Media to First Lady Adamawa State, Ishaya Bitrus, as saying:
“The Adamawa State delegation, comprising the wives of the Local Government Chairmen from the 21 LGAs, has successfully arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, for a one-week intensive leadership training program.
“The training is designed to enhance leadership capacity, strengthen governance, and equip the wives of the Council Chairmen with innovative strategies that will drive sustainable development and community transformation back home in Adamawa State.”
The trip by the council “first ladies,” which began last week, has sparked widespread criticism due to unpaid salaries and pensions for LG workers and retirees in the state.
According to reports, the training, accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Local Government, focuses on governance strategies and leadership capacity building.
It is framed as part of empowerment initiatives following recent LG autonomy reforms. However, the move has been labeled “wasteful and insensitive” by unions and pensioners, who highlight the ongoing financial struggles of LG staff and retirees.
Critics, including retirees, have questioned the necessity of foreign training for the chairmen’s wives, noting that even the state governor’s wife has not undertaken similar programs.
One anonymous LG chairman from northern Adamawa distanced himself from the decision, while calls for anti-corruption probes into the funding—suspected to come from LG budgets—grow louder.
NAIRALAND
