The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has committed most of the ten percent it has received out of its 2018 appropriation into voter education ahead of the 2019 elections.
Director General of NOA, Dr. Garba Abari disclosed when the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation paid an oversight visit to the Agency.
Abari said as at December 21, 2018 the Agency had received only N64.4m out of N644.4m appropriated in the 2018 budget and had already committed most of the capital vote it has received to voter education across the country, in line with its mandate and with the provisions of the budget.
He said in order to cushion the effects of poor public sector funding, the Agency is leveraging on its partnering with the private sector which, he said, is becoming more alert to the importance of its role in public reorientation.
He also informed the Senate Committee that in 2017, the Agency only received N207.2m, amounting to fifty percent of its total N414.4m appropriation.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, Senator Suleiman Adokwe said the Committee was satisfied with the Agency’s utilization of appropriated funds in spite of budgetary constraints and the enormity of the public reorientation and enlightenment task saddled on the Agency.
Paul Odenyi
Head, Press Unit