2024 Budget: Senate frowns at meagre allocations for Information Ministry…impressed by Minister’s visions

By Haruna Salami

The Senate has frowned at meagre allocations proposed for the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in the N27.5 trillion 2024 budget.

This displeasure at the paltry budgetary proposals made for the Ministry was further fueled by clear cut visions its Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi rolled out for implementation in 2024 before members of the committee during budget defence session on Tuesday.

The Minister had, in his presentation before the committee, informed the senators that national values and attitudes re-orientation campaign under the aegis of National Values Charter (NVC), would be launched in early 2024

“It is the desire of the ministry to have a big national conversation around our values and attitudes re-orientation, so that Nigeria will at least, rediscover its self and reclaim some of those values that have been eroded over the years, so that we can have a better country for all of us.

“We also desire the launch of the National and International branding campaign for Nigeria to highlight and showcase Nigeria immense natural and cultural resources.

“We are also going to convene and cordinate a regular series of Press briefings and media engagements for cabinet members and other senior government officials to avail Nigerians of what various ministries and agencies are doing so that Nigerians will be carried along on what and what the projects and programmes of government are.

He said the ministry also intends to invest resources in modernising the Federal Government information and communication management and regulatory system across the agencies for example, NAN, NTA , FRCN, etc.

However, he added that the N1billion earmarked for the Ministry as capital expenditure in 2024, would not be anyway sufficient for implementation of the programmes.

Apparently impressed by the minister’s visions, the committee chairman, Senator Kenneth Eze (APC Ebonyi Central), said provisions in the 2024 budget were nothing to write home about for implementing such laudable visions.

The Chairman said “this is not a budget that can be visible if we are telling our story as a country , there is no way we can go far, you have a great initiative on how you are going to transform the country in area of information, I wonder how you are going to do that with this little fund.

“Information is a very sensitive ministry that should be taken seriously and funded. If we are talking about renewed hope agenda that we want as a country, information should be at the forefront; it should be the image maker, to sensitise the people. There is a widening gap between the people and government; information has to bridge this gap.

The chairman said he searched the budget, but didn’t see Nigeria Press Council, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and other agencies, adding “is the government telling us that the agencies are been scraped, that they can function without personnel? Who will pay their salary?

He assured the minister that the matter is serious for the committee to look into and they will “surely do that”.