The Chairman of the Committee on Information, National Orientation, Values and Ethics, Hon Olusola Fatoba has decried the low budgetary allocation to the ministry of Information and its agencies.
While addressing the media in Abuja, the lawmaker said that the information sector is expected to project the image of Nigeria and needs money to do so.
Hon Fatoba noted that there are so many vices in Nigeria that the media needs to focus on but can not, due to lack of funds.
” The reason for this media chat has to do with the low budgetary allocation to the ministry of Information and National Orientation.
“On seeing their budget during the budget presentation, was a thing of surprise to is the committee in charge of the committee and its agencies to realise that the total capital budget acrude to the whole ministry and it’s agencies for the year 2024 is within two point five nine billion naira for the ministry and its agencies, which is to us a very low budget considering the role the media and information ministry are to play in this country.
“And don’t think that that budget can go anywhere in getting them to reach all the nooks and crannies in this country, which we expect them to get to”. Hon Fatoba said.
Curb Fake News
He also said that the scourge of fake news needs to be curbed through information agencies.
” If we look at our social values and ethics, it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. Look at what is happening to our youths today, some youths have taken to drugs, some youths have taken to social vices, indecent dresses amongst our youths. All these things are what National Orientation are supposed to correct but now they have less than two hundred million I’m their capital budget. How are they going to function very well with that meager budget. And another issue within the ministry and the agency happen to be zero budget for two of the agencies,” he said.
He said that giving the agencies zero budget was wrong.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and make provisions for the agencies.
He added that the ministry of Information which is responsible for the disemination of information about the government needs all the funds available to be able to carry out its mandate.
He added that the committee had met with the speaker and the leadership of the House to “do something about the low budgetary allocation to the ministry and its agencies.”
