The House of Representatives Committee on Information and National Orientation has faulted the N8.7 billion budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Information and National Orientation for its 2025 operations.
The panel raised the alarm on Wednesday when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, appeared before it to defend the ministry’s 2025 budget.
The lawmakers also frowned at the N1.2 billion Capital component of the budget, describing it as grossly inadequate.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Fatoba Olusola (APC-Ekiti state) said that 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 described the development as unacceptable for an agency which bears the responsibility of dissemination information not to get a substantial amount of the 2025 budget.
Deputy Chairman of the committee, Felix Nwaeke said that 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.
Ismail Tijani (APC-Kwara) observed that the amount was too small to sustain the ministry in 2025 to achieve its mandate.
He said that some of the agencies under the ministry have foreign offices where the image of the country is projected saying that funds cannot meet the demands of the ministry.
Rep. Akin Rotimi (APC-Ekiti state) said that many agencies of government who do not have the expertise were doing the job of the ministry.
He said that a glance at the 2025 budget showed lump sums allocated to information and orientation in the budget down line of other agencies.
Rotimi suggested that all allocation for information and orientation in the 2025 budget should be domiciled in the ministry where the expertise resides.
Another lawmaker, Amobi Ogah, however criticized the envelope budgeting system practiced in the country, saying it is limiting the performance of government agencies.
He called on the National Assembly to do away with the envelop budgeting system to allow agencies of government freedom to work according to their capacity.
In his ruling, the chairman said the committee rejects the capital component of the budget, pledging to work with the leadership of the house, Senate and the Minister of Finance boost the budget.
Earlier, the minister said that the ministry is saddled with responsibility of ensuring that information that Nigerians require from government is made available to them.
Idris explained that the ministry was looking forward to deepening engagements with the citizens by organising town halls on government activities across the country.
He said that the ministry was also looking forward to consolidating the ministerial briefing where ministers will appear to inform Nigerians what they are doing and get feedback from Nigerians.
According to the minister, they have seen over the years the gradual erosion of trust from the Nigerian public to the government.
He said that there is a 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 the activities and programmes of government.
“Now there is a portal that we have also strengthened by the way of information coming from these ministries coming in there, so that Nigerians can be better from this portal, this site have been reinvigorated.
“We urge all Nigerians to go back there. And all of this, of course, is important so that we can improve on policy awareness, and we can also take feedback from the Nigerian public.
“The President has given us this mandate, that it is not enough for government to be seen to be building roads, it is not enough for government to be seen to be constructing hospitals.
“It is not enough for government to be seen to be putting money in education. We need to inculcate the right values to our citizenry, especially the young ones, so that Nigerians can reclaim, once again, the lost glory.”
