The term “Greek gift” comes from the story of the Trojan Horse in Greek mythology. The Greeks left a giant wooden horse as a “gift” for the Trojans, with whom they had been at war. It looked generous, but armed soldiers were hidden inside — it was a strategy to conquer the city. So, a “Greek gift” is something presented as benevolent that carries a hidden agenda or cost.
The danger is not the gift itself, but the strings attached. And this is where the recent distribution of cartons of various food items to churches across the country becomes problematic. The cartons shared in Lagos had the photos of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu boldly printed on them.
First is the issue of timing, which prompts the question: would the distribution have happened if no election was near? The second raises the question of conditionality: is there an explicit or implied expectation of political support by this action? Thirdly, how appropriate is it to use public money in an apparently partisan way. Lastly, was the distribution based on need, or on political alignment of the churches, or their numbers, in terms of voting power?
Kingdom Times holds the position that for the Lagos State government to choose to distribute food items to churches close to the 2027 general elections, a gesture it never thought fit to carry out in the past seven years, it is a classic Greek gift. In this case, the food is the “horse,” the voter influence is the “soldiers inside.”
The action amounts to a surface benevolence, with political intent rather than welfare or palliative support. The hidden purpose is to create goodwill, gratitude, or obligation among congregants and church leadership that translates into votes or endorsements.
Churches are high-trust institutions with weekly access to large, organized groups. Channeling gifts through them leverages moral authority of the leaders and community structure. Truth is, the recipients may feel socially pressured to align with the giver, even if no explicit demand is made.
Underlying this seemingly innocuous gift is what is described in Anthropology as “reciprocal exchange” which creates a social debt or burden of conscience on the part of the receivers. In electoral politics, that debt can subtly shift choice at the ballot box, regardless of policy or performance of the giver.
In the face of the hardship in the country, the food may be genuinely needed but timing it to an election cycle raises questions about motive. And if funded by public money, it blurs the line between governance and vote-buying. Electoral laws in Nigeria prohibit inducement of voters with gifts. Ultimately, accepting the gift may solve immediate hunger but it reinforces a cycle where politicians trade consumables for votes instead of delivering solutions to societal challenges.
Therefore, a policy or action framed as public good — food relief — can undermine democratic accountability if the real motive and effect, as is obvious in this case, is to bypass issue-based voting and reward patronage. The gift isn’t just food; it’s a political instrument.
When a people are reduced to think only about individual survival, as has happened to majority of Nigerians today, whatever is thrown at them in form of governance life line, is received with gratitude, even if it’s a poisoned chalice, as demonstrated with the political gift by the Lagos State Governor.
However, it is gladdening to know that some churches saw through the Trojan Horse and had the gumption to turn down the offer. Unfortunately, and shamefully too, many other churches fell for it; where the leadership of such churches could not resist the gift but allowed its distribution among their members, although some other members of such assemblies rejected the food items, while others received them and gave them out to the less privileged.
The various reactions that have trailed this issue clearly underscore the moral burden that accompanies the so-called gesture by the Lagos State government. For Kingdom Times, in matters like this, the Church must take the moral high ground.
●This editorial was first published in Kingdom Times. The publication is available online at www.kingdomtimes.ng.com.
