The House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics, and Values has called for an upward review of the 2024 budgetary allocation of the Ministry of Information and its agencies especially, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Rep. Olusola Fatoba, Chairman of the Committee, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at a news conference, saying that the 2024 budgetary allocation of the ministry and its agencies was inadequate.
Fatoba said going by its enormous task of combating fake news, reorientation of Nigerians and the projection of government activities to the people, the ministry’s budget was inadequate.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure adequate funding for the ministry in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
” I have seen some government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), allocating N40 billion for information, while the entire ministry of information is being allocated N2.59 billion for the entire 2024,” he said.
Fatoba said the committee would recommend an upward review of the 2024 capital allocation of the ministry and its agencies for optimal results.
He said the committee had studied the appeal by the ministry and agencies for an upward review of their budget, so as to be able to address problems of obsolete equipment and dilapidated infrastructure.
He said that this would assist the government in effective information dissemination and tackling fake news.
“The National Orientation Agency (NOA) for example, is today unable to effectively enlighten Nigerians, especially youths, on the negative effects of indecent dressing, drug abuse, and political thuggery, due to inadequate funding,” he said. (NAN)
By Femi Ogunshola
