Governor Abiodun’s car gifts to local government chairmen: A Christmas benevolence or a question of local government autonomy?
By Olalekan Shoyinka
Kudos must be given where it is due. The Executive Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, deserves commendation for the Christmas Day gesture of presenting brand-new Toyota Corolla Cross (2025 models) to Local Government Chairmen across the state. It was widely reported as the fulfilment of a campaign promise aimed at strengthening grassroots governance, and indeed, it stands as a first-of-its-kind gesture since the commencement of his administration in 2019.
At a time when the economic reality bites hard, such benevolence carries symbolic value. It reassures local administrators that they are seen, remembered, and supported. In that sense, His Excellency deserves appreciation, not just for the gift itself, but for the message of inclusion it sends. One can only encourage that this goodwill be sustained and extended through more impactful interventions that directly strengthen local government administration and service delivery.
However, beyond the applause lies a fundamental question that must not be ignored.
History does not record that any President of Nigeria, since the dawn of the Fourth Republic, has gifted state governors official vehicles in this manner. Governors have always drawn from state resources, appropriated through budgets, to procure tools they deem necessary for governance. This raises a critical concern: if Local Government allocations were truly reaching councils directly, wouldn’t chairmen be in a position to prioritize and procure their own needs — vehicles included — without external benevolence?
Local Governments exist as the closest tier of government to the people. Their primary mandate is not comfort, but impact. Graded rural roads, functional primary healthcare centres, electrification projects, well-equipped public schools, and basic community infrastructure remain the true dividends of grassroots governance. These are the measures by which local administrations should be assessed, not merely by the assets in the convoys of their executives.
This development inevitably redirects attention to the unresolved issue of Local Government financial autonomy.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has spoken firmly and repeatedly on this matter. At recent meetings of the All Progressives Congress, including the National Caucus and the National Executive Committee in December 2025, he reiterated his commitment to enforcing the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments. His words were unequivocal: “There is no autonomy without a funded mandate.” Even more striking was his assertion, “I have the yam and the knife,” a clear signal of executive resolve.
Words, however, must now give way to action.
If Local Governments are to function effectively as engines of grassroots development, their statutory allocations must be paid directly to them from the Federation Account, free from interference or diversion. An executive order enforcing direct disbursement — if necessary by deducting at source — would not be an act of hostility, but one of constitutional fidelity and democratic deepening.
The gift of SUVs, commendable as it may be, should therefore serve as a reminder rather than a substitute. Sustainable governance is not built on seasonal generosity, but on institutional autonomy, fiscal responsibility, and accountability. When Local Governments are properly funded, empowered, and monitored, they will no longer wait for gifts — they will deliver governance.
That is the real reform Nigerians at the grassroots are waiting for.
Hon. (Chief) Olalekan Shoyinka (Ayinla Egba) is Convener, United Premier Movement (UPM), Abeokuta
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