Abuja: The Nigerian’s Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday, commenced preliminary moves to increase the funding of the National Orientation Agency to enhance its service delivery.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion on the “Need to review the budgetary allocation of the National Orientation Agency of Nigeria for improved citizens orientation, moved by the member representing Agege Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Mr Adewale Hameed.
Moving the motion, Mr Hameed noted that the NOA plays an important role in the
re-orientation of citizens on national values and promoting the spirit of unity and patriotism.
This role, notwithstanding, the lawmaker lamented the inadequate funding of the agency, noting that more need to be done to empower it to discharge its services effectively to Nigerians.
He said, “The House is aware that the budgetary allocation for the agency in the Appropriation Act, 2024 is N8, 819, 470, 967.
“The House is concerned that the existing funding provided for the agency is grossly inadequate to meet the extensive responsibilities of the agency and its offices across the nation.
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“We are concerned that given the prevailing trend of youth restiveness and social vices in the nation, there is definitely an urgent need to implement measures for effective re-orientation of citizens to curb vices, re-orient the people and encourage growth within our society.”
According to him, the state of restiveness across the country coupled with many social vices “Necessitates urgent measures for effective re-orientation to curb these vices and promote societal growth.”
Following the adoption of the motion, the plenary presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas urged the Federal government “To review the budgetary allocation of the National Orientation Agency in line with current realities in subsequent budget estimates to enable successful re-orientation of citizens.”
The lawmakers also urged NOA to “Increase visibility across all media platforms and put out more engaging content that will project Federal Government policies to the people and also expose the citizens to government initiatives that can be beneficial to them.”
The House also urged the agency to partner with stakeholders including Ministries, Departments and Agencies, traditional institutions, religious bodies community leaders and the media, among others.
The House Committees on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values were mandated to conduct a thorough oversight and recommend appropriate measures that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the agency for improved service delivery.
The committees have four weeks to report back to the House for further legislative action.
