The Chairman of the House Committee on Information and National Orientation, Mr. Fatoba Olusola, has described the budget allocation to the Ministry of Information and National Orientation for 2025 as grossly inadequate.
Mr. Olusola noted that the N8.9 billion allocated to the ministry falls significantly short of expectations. Furthermore, he announced the committee’s rejection of the ministry’s capital expenditure proposal, emphasising the need for a more robust allocation to meet the ministry’s operational and strategic demands.
Mr Olusola emphasised that the committee would sit with its Senate counterpart to look into the budget.
Honorable Minister of Information & National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and heads of Agencies and Parastatals under @FMINONigeria appears before @HouseNGR Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to defend the Ministry’s Budget. The Committee is chaired… pic.twitter.com/DJVweBMVHf
— Fed Min of Info & Nat’l Orien (@FMINONigeria) January 15, 2025
“We are going to work hand in hand with our Senate counterpart to make sure that the right thing is done,“ Olusola said.
Members of the committee unanimously agreed that the budget was too small for the job before the ministry.
The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Mr. Felix Nweke, suggested the outright rejection of the budget.
He said that for a ministry with eight agencies with the mandate to project Nigeria’s image both at home and abroad, the amount allocated was too little.
“We are not happy that you have this meagre amount to do your work for 2025. So, I rise to support my chairman and we are speaking on behalf of this committee that we are rejecting this budget proposal for the Ministry of Information. At this time that ministry is saddled with reorienting our people,“ Mr. Nweke said.
One of the members, Mr. Aliyu Gusau, commended the minister for his patriotism and urged him not to be bothered by the meagre budget proposal.
Similarly, Mr Amaobi Ogah explained that whosoever assigned the budget envelope to a ministry as important as information “is an enemy of Nigeria.
“This envelope thing has also enveloped their mind, which is not helping Nigerians and we cannot continue this way. When they give you an envelope and you have a plan and that envelope limits you on the plan you have, then what is the future of the nation? It’s like we are joking. Every year the same thing,” Mr. Ogah said.
Mr Femi Bamisile, who described the minister of Information as a “fanatical lover of Nigeria and one of the finest ministers in the country, called for an urgent need to increase the amount.
The minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Muhammed Idris, presented over eight point nine billion naira for 2025.
He said that the ministry is tasked with the responsibility of giving Nigerians timely and accurate information.
He said the ministry is poised to ensure that trust and confidence return to the public information sector.
“We have seen over the years the gradual erosion of trust from the Nigerian public to the government. And the irony is that it is the same people who elected this government. But over the years, we have seen that trust has broken down. But as the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, consistent with the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our desire is to ensure that information that Nigerians require to know is given out to them unhindered, honestly, timely and as accurately as possible.
“We are ready to work with the lawmakers. We need to tell Nigerians what the government is doing. And we need your support in the area of increase in the budget allocation to this ministry,“ Mr Idris said
The minister promised that together with his heads of agencies, he would continue to enlighten Nigerians about the activities of the government.
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