The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has condemned the alleged sponsorship of 21 local government chairmen’s wives in Adamawa State on a trip to Turkey, describing it as a waste of public resources.
Obi, in a statement , said it was disturbing that an estimated N600 million in public funds was allegedly spent on the foreign trip under the guise of leadership training, while pressing issues in basic education and other critical sectors remained unattended to.
He noted that many children at the basic education level were either out of school or studying without adequate classrooms and teachers, while local government pensioners were likely being owed, and teachers continued to face economic hardship.
Obi added that the funds could have built about 30 blocks of six classrooms at an average cost of N20 million each, which would have directly impacted children and communities in the state.
While commending Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s efforts in infrastructure development in Yola, the former Anambra State governor stressed that Adamawa remained in urgent need of investment in education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.
“Today, while our children at the basic education level, whose education is the responsibility of local governments, are out of school, and those in school lack classrooms and teachers, while LGA pensioners are likely being owed, and teachers continue to struggle under economic hardship, it is disheartening that scarce resources are channeled into frivolities such as foreign trips for the wives of local government chairmen who have no public office, at an estimated cost of about ₦600 million in public funds.
“While I sincerely commend Governor Fintiri and his team for their efforts, especially in the area of infrastructure in Yola, Adamawa still remains one of the states in urgent need of investment in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. Such money, if directed at women micro-credit at an average of ₦100,000 each for women-led micro businesses, will uplift 6,000 women, which would be more impactful to the various LGAs, with about 300 women in each LGA being empowered, than this wasteful spending.
He maintained that local government funds belonged to the people and must not be diverted to frivolities, warning that anything short of people-oriented governance was an abuse of office.
“This is not only a glaring case of waste but a mockery of the very essence of governance.”