By Divine Sam
The donation of brand-new luxury sport utility vehicles to selected youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has sparked widespread criticism, with political commentators and Nigerians questioning the ruling party’s priorities amid persistent economic hardship.
The controversy followed a video shared by APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, showing seven 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs presented to selected youth leaders to support grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Israel subsequently expressed appreciation to First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for supporting the party’s youth wing. The First Lady also confirmed that she donated vehicles to the APC National Youth Wing for mobilisation activities.
However, the presentation has drawn criticism from Nigerians who say the expensive vehicles stand in sharp contrast to the difficulties many households face in paying rent, buying food and obtaining essential medicines.
Pat Utomi, a political economist and chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), questioned the decision to provide luxury vehicles to party officials while Nigerian soldiers continue to face concerns over their earnings.
“Nigerian soldiers are being paid peanuts as salaries, yet an APC youth leader is flaunting SUVs worth billions of naira,” Utomi wrote on X.
In a separate post, he questioned whether the money spent on the vehicles could have been used to provide emergency medical services, asking how many ambulances could have been purchased instead.
Another commentator on X, Seun Durojaiye, alleged that more than 20 brand-new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs, each valued at ₦120 million, had been distributed to APC youth leaders across the country at a combined cost exceeding ₦2 billion.
Durojaiye questioned the alleged spending at a time when some Nigerian families are struggling to afford basic necessities, including food and medicines, while contending with unemployment and rising living expenses.
“In a country where a parent cannot afford a common malaria drug costing ₦2,000 for their child,” he wrote.
Daily Trust, however, stated that it had not independently verified Durojaiye’s claim regarding the distribution of more than 20 vehicles or the source of their funding. The original video showed seven SUVs, while the First Lady confirmed that she donated vehicles to the party’s youth wing.
The development also attracted criticism from A. Adebanji, who posts on X as @prinxe_B. He described the situation as “peak (of) insensitivity” and warned that it could provide opposition parties with fresh arguments against the APC and the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“At a time when Nigerians are struggling with the effects of reforms, you chose to flaunt SUVs for youth leaders. What exactly is the public supposed to make of this?” he asked.
Adebanji argued that the display could undermine the government’s efforts to convince Nigerians to endure the difficulties associated with its economic reforms.
“You cannot preach sacrifice to the people while flaunting privilege in their faces,” he wrote.
He further warned that the controversy could deepen public frustration and become a political disadvantage for the ruling party as the 2027 elections approach.
Another X user, Sammy Desh, criticised Israel’s conduct, describing it as an embarrassment to the office of national youth leader. However, Desh distinguished the controversy from the broader position of the Federal Government and the APC leadership.
“This isn’t what the APC or President Tinubu stands for,” he wrote.
Prince Adeshina also criticised the youth leader, describing him as “the weapon fashioned against APC, PBAT, and every youth in the APC”.
The backlash comes amid continuing concerns over the cost of living, even as official economic indicators point to improvements in some areas.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell to 14.63 per cent in September 2026 from 15.39 per cent in August. Food inflation, however, stood at 19.59 per cent, slightly above the 19.57 per cent recorded the previous month.
Although a lower annual inflation rate indicates that prices are increasing at a slower pace, it does not necessarily mean that goods and services have become cheaper. For many low-income households, food prices remain a major source of financial pressure because a large proportion of their income goes towards feeding.
This gap between improving macroeconomic figures and the everyday experiences of ordinary Nigerians has become central to the debate over the luxury vehicle donation.
For families struggling to provide food, pay rent and purchase medicines, the presentation of expensive SUVs to political officials has raised questions about priorities as the APC prepares to seek another electoral mandate.
The World Bank’s October 2026 Nigeria Development Update reported that the country’s economy grew by 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, compared with 3.9 per cent during the corresponding period in 2025. Services and agriculture contributed to the expansion.
The Bank also reported that Nigeria’s poverty rate had stabilised for the first time since 2019, while cautioning that economic stabilisation must translate into more jobs, improved public services and better living conditions.
It attributed improvements in public finances partly to reforms introduced since 2023, including the removal of petrol subsidies, foreign-exchange market changes and stronger revenue administration.
According to the report, gross federation revenues increased by 69 per cent in real terms between 2023 and 2025. State governments subsequently increased capital spending, particularly on transport infrastructure, agriculture, energy and housing.
However, the Bank noted that spending on education and other social services had not risen at the same pace as investment in economic infrastructure, highlighting the need for better accountability and more effective public expenditure.
President Tinubu welcomed the report, describing its findings as evidence that the reforms were producing results. He nevertheless acknowledged that more work was required to ensure that economic gains resulted in lower food prices, decent employment and improved living standards.
The President also said targeted cash transfers had reached more than 10 million households and pledged to expand assistance to vulnerable Nigerians, improve agricultural productivity and widen access to affordable healthcare and education.
In a further attempt to ease pressure on household budgets, the Federal Government announced in October that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s retail arm would temporarily forgo its petrol profit margin and sell fuel at cost for 30 days, following rising global oil prices.
The administration has maintained that restoring a blanket petrol subsidy could recreate fiscal pressures, fuel smuggling and supply distortions associated with the previous system. It has instead advocated maintaining the reforms while directing more resources towards targeted support, infrastructure and economic opportunities.
Opposition figures, however, continue to question when the benefits of the reforms will become more noticeable in the daily lives of Nigerians. They argue that economic growth, increased government revenue and improved financial indicators will mean little to households if food, transport, healthcare and housing remain unaffordable.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the controversy over the Prado SUVs has added to the debate over political spending, public accountability and whether the country’s economic recovery is translating into meaningful relief for ordinary citizens.
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