Lai Mohammed: Security Nigeria’s Major Challenge, Not Economy

•Insists more funds needed to fight disinformation 

•Lawmakers demand true situation of terror alert

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed yesterday opined that the major challenge facing the country was not the economy but insecurity.

The minister who said this when he appeared before the Hon. Olusegun Odegbumi led House Committee on Information to defend the Ministry’s budget for 2023, reiterated that the ministry needs more funds to tackle the scourge of fake news, disinformation and maintain stability in the country.

He lamented that his ministry was dealt a heavy blow by the Executive, which allocated a “small sum” of N869 million for the ministry for 2023.

Mohammed who also lamented that N345 million from the total sum was for information, noted that while he understands the current challenges the country was facing, the ministry of information and culture at this critical time should have more allocation to carry out its job effectively.

He stated that he went with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, in a helicopter over the oil producing area and saw how in broad daylight pipelines were being vandalised and stolen.

The minister also made reference to the security threat issued last week by US government and other foreign countries and as well the upcoming general elections and national census, insisting that is the more reason the ministry should be well funded to be speaking every moment.

He therefore urged the lawmakers to raise his budget, adding that the parliament was his last hope to try the best to fight disinformation.

Mohammed said, “I want to draw the House attention to the fact that the ministry of information has been dealt a very heavy card in this year’s budgetary allocation.

“In 2022 the National Assembly approved N2.5 billion for this ministry, as capital. Of which N1 billion belong to information, this year the capital provision for the entire ministry of information and culture is N869 million, of which only N345 million is for information.

“I fully understand the current challenges the country is facing, but during challenges like this you need your information ministry, not only to chronicle what you have achieved but to combat fake news, disinformation, hate speech which today has taken quite a height that’s threatening our very existence as a country.

“While I agree that out sources of revenue have dwindled, there’s no better time to have more money for the ministry.

“Our contribution as a ministry to peace and stability, is not quantifiable so when you start judging us on the same template with other ministries, I think we are forgetting the fact that our contribution in deepening understanding between the government and the governed, ensuring that disinformation is tackled everyday cannot be quantified.”

Corroborating the Minister’s appeal, the Committee Chairman, Odebunmi opined that the ministry of information should be seen as a security agency and allocated same funds as such agencies.

He, however, reminded the minister that the country practices envelope budgetary system, and it’s the executive that allocates to each ministry.

The lawmaker while demanding the true situation of the terror alert, however said that cannot be achieved if the ministry was not properly funded.

“I think before coming here, you supposed to have taken the fight back to the executive. We share the same idea, the information ministry is supposed to be seen as one of the security agencies and funded the way they fund security agencies, because information is power.

“On the terror alert, we need the ministry to prove to the nation that this is not true and this is the true position of this, so when you are not being well funded, what do they expect you to do,” Odegbumi said

In his contribution, a member of the Committee, Hon. Ahmed Jaha faulted the Executive arm of government for the poor allocation to the ministry and poor releases of the monies previously allocated.

He told the minister that the parliament was not in the position to help him raise the ministry’s budget, because the federal government will come through the same ministry of information and accuse the National Assembly of padding it.