By Muhammad Sulaiman
A social media outcry has erupted in Kebbi State following claims that the Executive Chairman of the state’s Pilgrims Welfare Agency donated 100 cars to support the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s 2027 election campaign.
Bashir Jelani, a Kebbi indigene and scholar based in the United States, raised the issue in a Facebook post, questioning the reported donation amid concerns over poverty, malnutrition and access to clean drinking water in the state.
Jelani drew attention to reports highlighting Kebbi’s development challenges, citing the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), StatiSense, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and UNICEF.
He questioned the reported donation in a state he described as facing severe socioeconomic challenges, asking where the money used to acquire the vehicles came from.
Other Kebbi residents have reportedly expressed similar concerns, with the controversy prompting questions about the source of funding for the vehicles and the priorities of public officials under the administration of Governor Nasir Idris, popularly known as Ƙauran Gwandu.
However, the circumstances surrounding the alleged donation, including the source of funding and the intended recipients of the vehicles, remain unclear. The claims and the statistics cited in the Facebook post could not be independently verified for this report.
The agency chairman and the Kebbi State Government have not been quoted as responding to the allegations.