Former Anambra Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the reported use of ₦600 million in public funds to sponsor the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa State on a trip to Turkey, describing it as “a mockery of the very essence of governance.”
Obi, in a tweet on Saturday, described the trip allegedly organised under the guise of “leadership training” as a misuse of public resources and a reflection of misplaced priorities in governance, especially at a time when people are suffering and children are out of school.
“I have just read the disturbing report that the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa State were sponsored with public funds to travel to Turkey under the guise of leadership training,” Obi wrote.
“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.”
Obi said the funds, if redirected, could have made a significant impact in sectors critical to local development.
He estimated that the amount could have empowered 6,000 women entrepreneurs with micro-credit support of ₦100,000 each, or funded 30 blocks of six classrooms across the state.
“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.”
The former governor also noted that while he commended Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for infrastructural efforts in Yola, the state remains in urgent need of targeted investments “in education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.”
He also said the money could have been used to build classrooms for children, noting that “Basic education in particular cannot afford to lose such a huge amount, as the over half a billion naira in question could have funded about 30 blocks of six classrooms at an average cost of ₦20 million each, directly impacting the lives of countless children and communities.”
Obi then noted that local government funds belong to the people and should be used to provide essential services, especially in rural communities where government presence is often weakest.
The former governor said, “We must return to prudent, people-oriented governance. Local government funds belong to the people, to the market woman, the farmer, the teacher, the pensioner, and every ordinary Nigerian who depends on government for basic amenities.
“Anything short of that is an abuse of office and should not be condoned. This is not only a glaring case of waste but a mockery of the very essence of governance.”
