By Dennis Okechukwu
The donation of luxury Toyota Prado sport utility vehicles to youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has sparked public outrage, with critics questioning the ruling party’s priorities as millions of Nigerians continue to grapple with high living costs.
The controversy erupted after APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, shared a video showing seven brand-new 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs presented to selected party youth leaders for grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Israel subsequently thanked First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for supporting the party’s youth wing. The First Lady later confirmed that she donated the vehicles to the APC National Youth Wing for mobilisation activities.
However, the development has drawn criticism from political figures, media personalities and social media users, who argue that the expensive vehicles represent a troubling contrast with the economic difficulties confronting ordinary Nigerians.
Among those who criticised the donation was political economist and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) chieftain, Pat Utomi, who questioned the disparity between the luxury vehicles and the welfare of Nigerian soldiers.
“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 how many ambulances could have been purchased with the money spent on the vehicles, drawing attention to the country’s need for accessible emergency medical services.
His comments have added to the debate over whether political parties should be investing heavily in luxury campaign vehicles while citizens struggle to meet essential needs, including food, healthcare, housing and education.
Atiku’s camp demands transparency
Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, also condemned the development, arguing that the donation raised serious questions about accountability and the use of resources for partisan political activities.
Ibe said the public display of the vehicles, followed by the reported deletion of the original post, had not addressed the concerns surrounding their cost and funding.
He called on the First Lady, Israel and the APC to disclose the total cost of the vehicles, identify their purchasers and donors, and provide evidence of payment.
He also demanded clarification on whether any funds, assets or resources belonging to the Federal Government or any government agency were involved in the transaction.
Ibe further called for the identities of the beneficiaries and details of the intended use of the vehicles to be made public.
He urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to examine the funding arrangements and determine whether the donation complied with relevant laws governing public resources and political financing.
According to him, the controversy reinforces concerns about the relationship between the Presidency, the ruling party and the financing of political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
He maintained that public resources should not be deployed for partisan purposes and that the demand for transparency remained necessary regardless of whether the original photographs were subsequently removed.
The precise purchase price of the seven vehicles and the detailed funding arrangements have not been publicly established in the information available.
Rufai Oseni proposes ambulances instead
Arise News anchor Rufai Oseni also weighed in on the controversy, urging the APC to consider purchasing buses that could serve as ambulances rather than spending heavily on luxury campaign vehicles.
Oseni, who referred to a Prado campaign vehicle reportedly costing more than ₦45 million, appealed to the ruling party to channel similar expenditure towards addressing the country’s emergency healthcare needs.
He suggested that buses purchased for political mobilisation could subsequently be converted into ambulances after the elections, potentially providing additional emergency transport for communities.
His proposal has resonated with critics who argue that investments in emergency medical services would provide more direct benefits to citizens than the distribution of expensive vehicles to party operatives.
However, the figure cited by Oseni was not independently established as the purchase price of the seven SUVs donated to the APC youth wing.
Social media users question party priorities
The backlash has also spread across social media, where users have questioned the wisdom of distributing luxury vehicles at a time when many households are struggling to afford basic necessities.
Seun Durojaiye, posting on X, alleged that more than 20 brand-new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs, valued at about ₦120 million each, had been distributed to APC youth leaders nationwide at a combined cost exceeding ₦2 billion.
Durojaiye cited the hardship facing families unable to afford food, medicines, rent and other essential expenses.
He particularly questioned the implications of such spending in a country where some parents struggle to purchase basic malaria medication for their children.
However, the allegation that more than 20 vehicles were distributed has not been independently verified. Reports surrounding the original video identified seven SUVs, while the First Lady confirmed donating vehicles to the party’s youth wing. There is also no independently established evidence in the information available that public funds were used to finance the donation.
Another X user, A. Adebanji, writing as @prinxe_B, described the development as an example of political insensitivity.
Adebanji argued that displaying luxury vehicles while Nigerians were bearing the consequences of economic reforms could undermine the government’s efforts to persuade citizens to accept further sacrifices.
“You cannot preach sacrifice to the people while flaunting privilege in their faces,” he wrote.
He warned that the controversy could provide opposition parties with fresh material to challenge the APC and the administration of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the next general elections.
Sammy Desh also criticised Israel, describing the episode as embarrassing for the office of national youth leader.
However, Desh distinguished his criticism of the youth leader’s conduct from the broader position of the APC and the Federal Government, expressing the view that the episode did not represent what the party or President Tinubu stood for.
Prince Adeshina similarly described Israel as a political liability to the ruling party, arguing that the controversy could damage the party’s standing among young Nigerians.
Economic hardship fuels public anger
The controversy comes against the background of continuing pressure on household incomes, despite improvements in some of Nigeria’s economic indicators.
The distinction between slowing inflation and falling prices remains central to the debate. A decline in the annual inflation rate means prices are increasing more slowly than before; it does not necessarily mean that food, transport, rent and other essentials have become cheaper.
For low-income households, persistent high prices continue to place pressure on already limited earnings, making the public display of expensive political gifts particularly contentious.
The World Bank’s October 2026 Nigeria Development Update reportedly put economic growth at 4.2 per cent in the first half of the year, compared with 3.9 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025.
The report attributed the expansion to contributions from sectors including services and agriculture. It also indicated that Nigeria’s poverty rate had stabilised for the first time since 2019, while cautioning that economic stabilisation must translate into more jobs, stronger public services and improved living standards.
The World Bank also highlighted increased government revenues following economic reforms introduced since 2023, including the removal of the petrol subsidy, foreign-exchange market changes and improvements in revenue administration.
According to the report, gross federation revenues increased by 69 per cent in real terms between 2023 and 2025, giving state governments additional resources for capital expenditure, particularly in transport infrastructure, agriculture, energy and housing.
Nevertheless, concerns remain about whether improvements in public finances are translating into adequate spending on education, healthcare and other social services.
The debate has consequently extended beyond the cost of the Prado vehicles to the broader question of how governments and political parties allocate resources and demonstrate accountability.