Sokoto State lawmakers have spent a staggering N4.6 billion on vehicles between January 2024 and September 2025, budget documents obtained by SaharaReporters reveal—despite the state grappling with widespread insecurity and the highest poverty rate in Nigeria.

The review shows that N1 billion was spent on thirty vehicles for House of Assembly members and management staff between January and September 2025 alone. In 2024, lawmakers reportedly spent N3.6 billion on additional motor vehicles.

Earlier budget estimates for 2024 indicated even larger expenditures:

• 30 Prado Jeeps for executive council members: N8.6 billion
• Vehicles for the speaker and deputy speaker: N460 million
• 20 vehicles for government functionaries: N500 million
• 40 Changan vehicles for special advisers: N2.8 billion

By mid-2024, N7.2 billion had already been spent on these purchases.

These expenditures come amid alarming social indicators:

• Sokoto has 5.81 million people classified as poor, the highest in Nigeria.
• 60% of households lack sanitary facilities, and 49% lack access to clean water.
• 52% of school-age children are currently out of school, according to the National Bureau of Statistics’ Multidimensional Poverty Index.

Civil society organizations warn that such spending on luxury vehicles starkly contrasts with the urgent needs of the populace, highlighting a misalignment between government priorities and public welfare.