The Nigerian House of Representatives’ Committee on Information and Culture has re-emphasized the need for more funding to information dissemination agencies for their critical role in nation-building, peace and unity.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr Segun Odebunmi made the remarks during the Committee’s oversight visit to headquarters of Voice Of Nigeria (VON) and News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Odebunmi who expressed concern over the poor funding of the information sector said proper funding would make those agencies contribute greatly to the country’s fight against insurgency and criminality.
The Director-General Voice of Nigeria, Mr Osita Okechukwu had earlier solicited for more funding to VON to enable them to discharge their mandate of projecting Nigeria’s view to the world effectively.
The DG also appealed for legislative measures that would reduce the proliferation of Radio and TV Broadcasting Stations among government’s agencies in the country.
He described giving rights for establishing many Radio and TV Stations by government’s agencies as waste, duplication of responsibilities and compromising national interest that could be detrimental to the Nigerian nation.
The oversight visit was to appraise the performance of the 2019 and 2020 Budgets as well as the utilization of fund released for both overhead and capital component of the budgets.
Suzan O
