Reps want increase in budgetary allocation for NOA

The House of Representatives has called for increased budgetary allocation to National Orientation Agency (NOA) to enable it perform effectively.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Shina Peller (APC-Oyo) at Tuesday’s plenary.

Speaking on the motion, Peller said there was need to reinvigorate NOA for impactful discharge of its duties.

He said that NOA was established to re-orientate Nigerians and encourage them to take part actively and freely in discussions and decisions affecting their collective welfare.

Peller said that the functions of NOA as stipulated in Sections 3 of its act included enlightening the general public on Federal Government policies and programmes.

“Others include; mobilise favourable opinion for federal government policies and programmes, collect and collate feedback to the public on government programmes and policies among others,” he said.

According to him, Section 4 of NOA Act also stipulates the novel objectives of the agency as social re-engineering, organisation with omnibus mandate and its core functions.

He said that since 1999, Nigeria had been bedeviled with several problems, ranging from communal clashes, religious and ethnic bigotry, terrorism, religious extremism, large scale corruption.

The lawmaker said he was concerned that NOA had failed to rise up to its responsibilities of disseminating information and re-orienting Nigerians especially at the peak of COVID–19 pandemic.

The House mandated its Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to ensure increase in the budgetary allocation of NOA in 2022 budget, for optimal performance.