Hon. Segun Dokun Odebunmi Chairman House of Reps Committee on Information National Orientiation, Ethics and Values has said poor budgetary allocation is limiting the activities of National Orientation Agency NOA and other Federal government media in their campaign against COVID 19 and others.
Hon Odebunmi while featuring on a radio program in Ibadan said , the National Orientation Agency NOA with offices across the 774 local government of the federation gets less than Hundred Million Naira allocation annually.
What will they do with that amount? Absolutely nothing tangible will be achieved but with the help of Mr speaker Hon Femi Gbajabiamila we have been able to increase the allocation to about four hundred million naira and with that i believe they will be more efficient and function effectively.
The problem is not limited to the agency alone, the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN and other agencies. Their major challenge is finance and the minister of Information Alhaji Lai Muhammed has agreed to increase their budgetary allocation
While reacting to the Conditional cash transfer programme initiated by the Federal government to assist the needy during the COVID-19, Odebunmi said the programme is a good programme but the process of disbursement is needed to be reviewed.
He said the method of public display of cash and payment to people on qeue is babaric and will encourage corruption.
As i speak now none from my consitituents in surulere /ogo oluwa has gotten the Federal government conditional cash transfer, i have been monitoring this program for a while, this programm started in 2016, only 14 local government were included in Oyo state.
In his effort to assist his constituents, the All Progressive Congress APC chieftain said, “Apart from sponsoring sensitization jingles on radio, we have also initiated house to house campaign as well as distribution of food items,hand sanitizes and other materials to people.”
When asked about his assessment of the prevention of Coronaviurs (COVID 19) pandemic in Oyo state ,Hon Odebunmi stated “I am not sastisfied with the way the corona virus pandemic prevention is being handled in Oyo state, the governor is handling the situation as if it is not a serious matter, Unfortunately he was one of the victims including some of the major stakeholders like UCH CMD and others. So, there is need for the state to be more proactive like Lagos, Osun, Kwara and other states that we share same boundaries. If Osun had not been able to handle the people who came from Abdijan seriously, they would have moved into my constituency which would have been bad for us all and would have caused a serious crisis in Ogbomoso which will obviously extend to Oyo and Ibadan.
