The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi has berated the Adamawa State Government for wasting a whopping sum of N600 million on wives of 21 Local Government Chairmen in Turkey under the guise of leadership training.
Mr Obi, who expressed shock over the development, stated on his X handle on Friday, that local governments must not become a license for waste.
“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 N600 million in public funds,” he said.
While commending Governor Fintiri and his team for their efforts, especially in the area of infrastructure in Yola, the former governor of Anambra State, noted that Adamawa still remains one of the states in urgent need of investment in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.
The businessman cum politician stated that such money, if directed at women micro-credit at an average of N100,000 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.
“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 N20 million each, directly impacting the lives of countless children and communities,” he added.
Calling on the government to return to prudent, and people-oriented governance, Obi noted that 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. Explaining that 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,” he concluded.
