House decries N8.7bn budgetary allocation to Ministry

By Tom Okpe

The House of Representatives Committee on Information and National Orientation has decried the N8.7 billion budgetary allocation for the Ministry in the 2025 operations.

The Committee, at its budget defence session on Wednesday in Abuja, rejected N1.2 billion Capital component of the budget, describing it as grossly inadequate.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep Fatoba Olusola, APC-Ekiti State, said the amount allocated to the Ministry in 2024 when the national budget was N28.7 trillion, is higher than the N8.2 billion allocated in 2025 when the national budget is N49.7 trillion.

He said it’s unacceptable for an agency that bears the responsibility of dissemination of information not to get a substantial amount of the 2025 budget.

The Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Rep Felix Nwaeke said the Committee is not happy with the meager allocation.

He suggested that the Committee should reject the budget and make a case before the leadership of the House for an increase.

“Some of the agencies under the Ministry have foreign offices where image of the country is projected,” saying that funds cannot meet the demands of the Ministry.

Rep Akin Rotimi, APC-Ekiti State, said many agencies of Gernment who do not have the expertise were doing the job of the Ministry.

“At a glance at the 2025 budget, showed lump sums allocated to information and orientation in the budget down line of other agencies.

“All allocation for information and orientation in the 2025 budget should be domiciled in the Ministry where the expertise resides,” Rotimi said..

Also, Rep Amobi Ogah criticized the envelop budgeting system practiced in the country, saying it is limiting the performance of Government agencies, calling on the National Assembly to do away with the envelop budgeting system, to allow agencies of Government freedom to work according to their capacity.

Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris said they are saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that information Nigerians requires from Government, is made available.

Idris further explained that the Ministry was looking forward to deepening engagements with the citizens, by organising town hall meetings, on Government activities across the country.

He said: “The Ministry was also looking forward to consolidate the ministerial briefing where Minister’s will appear to inform Nigerians what they are doing and get feedback from Nigerians.

“There is every need for the Ministry of Information and its agencies to deepen its engagement with the Nigerian public, so that people will get to know more about activities and programmes of Government.

“Now, there is a portal that we have strengthened by the way of information coming from these Ministries. Nigerians can be better from this portal, this site have been reinvigorated.

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“We urge all Nigerians to go back there, and of course, it’s important, so we can improve on policy awareness, and can also, take feedback from the Nigerian public.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has given us this mandate; that is not enough for Government to be seen to, building roads, it is not enough for Government to be seen to be constructing hospitals.

“Now, the idea is to replicate the Azikiwe and Awolowo ideology amongst our young people, so that Nigeria can once again, begin to think, talk and act as Nigerians,” he said.

In his ruling, the Chairman said the Committee rejects the capital component of the budget, pledging to work with leadership of the House, Senate and the Minister of Finance, to boost the budget.