Local government area chairmen in Adamawa state have sponsored their wives for a leadership training programme in Istanbul, Turkey.

Wives of the LGA chairmen, accompanied by senior officials from the ministry of local government, reportedly left the country last week for the training.

Suleiman Toungo, chairman of Toungo LGA and chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, said the training is intended to equip their spouses with leadership skills.

He said the council chairmen embarked on their own training recently, arguing that their wives need similar exposure so they can offer useful advice to them on governance.

“We did our training two months ago, so I do not see anything wrong with our wives going for training outside the country,” Punch quoted Toungo as saying.

“They are our wives and we need their advice. We are looking at the importance of training them on leadership, not the cost.”

The trip has sparked widespread criticism on social media platforms, with Nigerians describing the episode as wasteful in light of the recent financial autonomy granted to local governments.

This is why no amount of money that is budgeted annually can be enough to get anything done because they were not intended for a fit purpose, the only priority of the Nigerian kind of politician is personal wealth and power to accumulate everything in sight for himself and family— Mbakwem Paschal (@mbakwem_paschal) September 24, 2025

Next up: Side Chicks of LG Chairmen in Dubai to attend a training on how to assist in smooth running of LG Chairmen’s hotels. The wastage will be worse than Wike.— GrokMrT, MBA. (@thatMrT) September 25, 2025

Nigeria – a country of waste. Do you have to attend a training in far turkey to know how to administer your local government back in nigeria? Do the instructors there know what the people in your LG lack or are going through? Is this not wastage and misuse of public funds?— Justice4Kajurians (@MartynsObot) September 25, 2025

The funniest part about these “training” trips is that they’re clearly just thinly veiled vacations: a mere one day of training followed by a ten-day tour.— Adewale👑 (@iamkelvinkyle) September 25, 2025

What happened to going to Yankari games reserve or Obudu cattle ranch…?

— Lota 🐾 (@lotaenukora) September 25, 2025

Whoever came up with this idea must be a joker. See enh, a lot of people still complaining, crying and criticizing the govt it’s because they’ve not gotten their own opportunity to loot!

— Dav (@daphinon) September 25, 2025

I have never believe in this LG Autonomy knowing what we Nigerians are. We are too corrupt and greedy and what is stopping us for now is that we have not found ourselves in the position of financial human control authority. Just look at these ones oh!

— Ola Michael (@OlaMichael45265) September 25, 2025

Adamawa state is amongst Nigeria’s poorest states yet, the Governor’s wife signed off the Estacode to sponsor herself and the wives of the 21 LG Chairmen in the state on a luxury trip to Turkey.

The total IGR of the state in 2022 was a little above N13 billion. In 2023, it was…

— Obiasogu David (@afrisagacity) September 25, 2025

21 wives of Adamawa State Local Government Chairmen are in Turkey for training on how to ‘assist’ & ‘advice’ their Husbands as LG chairmen wives. While pensioners and staff remain unpaid. This country is a joke — Emma ik Umeh (Tcee )🇳🇬 (@emmaikumeh) September 25, 2025

On July 11, 2024, the supreme court ruled that the federal government must pay allocations directly to LGAs and barred state governors from appointing caretaker committees to run them.

The court also directed the federal government to withhold funds from LGAs headed by caretaker chairpersons.