By Abiola Olawale
Nigerians have begun to react to reports that emerged on Thursday claiming that the wives of all 21 Local Government Area (LGA) chairmen in Adamawa State have landed in Istanbul, Turkey, for a week-long “leadership training” program.
This comes after reports indicated that the Local government chairmen in Adamawa state reportedly spons
ored their wives for what was described as an empowerment programme.
Suleiman Toungo, chairman of Toungo LGA and chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, was quoted to have confirmed the development in a viral media report.
He reportedly 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.
Toungo reportedly said: “We did our training two months ago, so I do not see anything wrong with our wives going for training outside the country.
“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.
Below are some reactions curated across social media platforms;
“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) September 24, 2025
“Next up: Side Chicks of LG Chairmen in Dubai to attend a training on how to assist in the smooth running of LG Chairmen’s hotels. The wastage will be worse than Wike.” (@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?” (@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.” (@iamkelvinkyle) September 25, 2025
“Whoever came up with this idea must be a joker. See, a lot of people are still complaining, crying, and criticizing the govt, it’s because they’ve not gotten their own opportunity to loot!” (@daphinon) September 25, 2025
