How Kwara LG lavished over N114m on chairman, other officials’ vehicles in nine months
By Aminu Abubakar
Official budget records from Offa Local Government Area, in Kwara State, show that a total of ₦114,290,375 was expended on the purchase of vehicles for the chairman and other political office holders between January and September 2025, despite growing demands for improved infrastructure and basic services across the council.
The expenditure is contained in the local government’s 2025 budget performance documents under Economic Code 23010105 – Purchase of Motor Vehicles, which made a provision of ₦190 million for the acquisition of vehicles for political office holders for the year.
By the end of the third quarter, official figures indicate that more than 60 per cent of the approved allocation had already been utilised, with ₦114.29 million recorded as actual spending within just nine months.
The amount spent within the January–September period represents a sharp increase when compared with the ₦43,374,850.98 recorded as full-year actual expenditure for the same item in 2024, suggesting a significant escalation in spending on official vehicles in the 2025 fiscal year.
Vehicle Spending Outpaces Several Public Projects
The scale of the expenditure has drawn attention because it outstrips the performance figures of several infrastructure and social projects executed within the same period. Budget performance data show that some essential services, including water supply, electricity infrastructure, and road maintenance, received comparable or even lower funding than the amount spent on vehicles for political office holders.
For instance, drilling of motorised boreholes across Offa Local Government Area recorded ₦33.37 million in actual spending by September 2025, while repair and installation of transformers in several communities ranged between ₦40 million and ₦52 million per project.
In contrast, spending on the chairman’s vehicle and other political office holders’ vehicles alone exceeded ₦114 million, a figure higher than what was spent on some water and electricity interventions combined during the same nine-month period.
Education-related projects also saw more modest spending. Renovation of a block of two classrooms recorded ₦30.38 million in performance, while construction of classroom blocks with offices recorded about ₦30.75 million by September 2025, each significantly lower than the amount spent on official vehicles.
Approved Budget and Spending Trajectory
The 2025 approved budget allocated ₦190 million for the purchase of the chairman’s vehicle and other political office holders’ vehicles, making it one of the largest administrative capital line items in the budget.
With ₦114.29 million already spent by the third quarter, analysts say the spending trajectory suggested that the allocation could have been substantially exhausted before the end of the fiscal year, had disbursements continued at the same pace.
The budget documents do not provide a breakdown showing how many vehicles were purchased, their specifications, or the individual cost of each unit, leaving questions about value for money and procurement processes.
While local government officials often justify vehicle purchases as necessary for mobility and effective administration, critics argue that the size of the expenditure requires stronger public justification, particularly at a time when residents continue to report poor road conditions, limited access to potable water, and overstretched health and education facilities.
Broader Capital Spending Context
Between January and September 2025, Offa Local Government recorded ₦1.24 billion in capital expenditure performance out of a total ₦1.53 billion approved capital budget. The chairman’s vehicle expenditure therefore, formed a noticeable portion of capital spending directed toward non-service-delivery assets.
In addition to the chairman’s vehicle, other vehicle-related expenditures were recorded during the same period. Under the same economic code, the purchase of pickup vans and motorcycles for security operations recorded ₦45.5 million in performance by September 2025.
When combined, spending on vehicles for administration and security purposes ran into hundreds of millions of naira within a single fiscal year, further fuelling debate over whether capital resources are being optimally deployed to meet the most pressing needs of residents.
In 2026, the council proposed a capital budget of ₦1.79 billion, with emphasis on roads, drainage, public buildings, schools, health centres, water facilities, transformers, and solar streetlights.
Major proposed projects for 2026 include ₦600 million for the rehabilitation of the Emiola–Olalomi Unique Road, ₦150 million for reinforced drainage construction, ₦100 million for renovation of the magistrate court, and ₦100 million for the construction of a police station or post.
Other proposed projects include multiple borehole schemes, classroom renovations, transformer installations, health centre construction, and erosion control works across wards in the local government.
While the absence of a 2026 vehicle allocation may indicate that vehicle procurement has been concluded, critics argue that it does not fully address concerns about the timing and scale of the ₦114.29 million spent within just nine months in 2025.
Calls for Accountability
Civil society groups and budget transparency advocates say the January–September 2025 figure has become emblematic of wider concerns about spending priorities at the local government level.
They argue that residents are more likely to measure governance performance by visible improvements in infrastructure and service delivery than by investments in administrative assets whose benefits are less directly felt by the public.
As Offa Local Government moves toward implementing its proposed 2026 budget, the ₦114.29 million spent on the chairman’s vehicle between January and September 2025 is expected to remain a key reference point in ongoing debates over fiscal discipline, transparency, and value for money.
For many residents, the central question is whether future budgets will reflect a sustained shift toward people-centred projects, or whether administrative spending will continue to dominate capital outlays at the grassroots level.
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