Sokoto budgets ₦1.6bn for lawmakers’ vehicles as citizens endure water scarcity, dilapidated schools
A review of Sokoto State’s approved 2025 budget by SolaceBase has revealed that the government plans to spend a total of ₦1.6 billion on purchasing vehicles for lawmakers and legislative staff.
According to budget documents, ₦460 million has been allocated for the purchase of vehicles for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker’s fleet. Additionally, ₦1.18 billion is earmarked for acquiring vehicles for other lawmakers and management staff. This allocation comes despite the state already spending ₦1.263 billion on similar purchases between January and September 2024.
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Beyond vehicle procurement, the budget also includes ₦700 million for the rehabilitation of the Sokoto State House of Assembly complex and another N100 million for a guesthouse within the Sokoto metropolis.
Notably, in 2024, the state had allocated ₦137 million for the same guesthouse project, yet it plans to spend an additional ₦100 million in 2025.
Contrasting Priorities Amid Educational and Water Crises
While the Sokoto government is prioritising vehicles for lawmakers, it has only allocated ₦205 million for renovating schools affected by flooding and erosion—far less than the lawmakers’ vehicle budget.
In 2024, the state budgeted ₦150 million for school renovations but spent only ₦25 million between January and September.
Education remains a pressing issue in Sokoto, where 52% of children lack access to schooling, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Multidimensional Poverty Index.
Despite this, the budget for procuring and distributing teaching and learning materials at pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary school levels stands at just ₦1 billion—significantly lower than the amount set aside for lawmakers’ vehicles.
At the tertiary level, the situation is the same. The Sokoto State Polytechnic capital expenditure approved for 2025 stood at ₦320 million, lower than the ₦1.6 billion for lawmakers’ vehicles, Sokoto State University’s capital expenditure budget stood at ₦1.114 billion. In fact, ₦1.433 billion was budgeted for the university in 2024, with zero naira spent.
Clean Water Crisis and Sanitation Shortfalls
Beyond education, access to clean water and sanitation remains a major challenge in Sokoto. An estimated 60% of households in the state lack access to basic sanitary facilities, while 49% struggle to obtain clean drinking water.
While ₦1.6 billion will be spent on lawmakers’ vehicles, only ₦425 million is earmarked for the Sokoto state rural water and sanitation agency capital expenditure for 2025, according to the approved budget document.
Residents have repeatedly urged the Sokoto State government to address the worsening water crisis, as taps have run dry in many areas. In response, the government has resorted to using tankers to supply water, but this remains an inadequate solution.
The situation has forced residents to depend on commercial water vendors, who sell a 20-litre keg of water for between ₦120 and ₦140, citing the high cost of fetching water from distant boreholes.
In November 2024, at least 25 people were confirmed dead following a gastroenteritis outbreak, commonly known as cholera, in three local government areas of the state. A total of 1,160 cases have been recorded so far.
The state Commissioner of Health, Asabe Balarabe, disclosed this while addressing journalists.
She further explained that 15 active cases were discovered in Sokoto North, Silame, and Kware local government areas.
According to the commissioner, these cases were confirmed through laboratory tests, including culture and sensitivity analyses, which verified them as active cholera cases.
As Sokoto grapples with these challenges, many citizens are questioning the state government’s spending priorities. While lawmakers are set to receive new vehicles worth ₦1.6 billion, basic needs such as education and access to clean water remain underfunded.
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