The release of funds approved by President Bola Tinubu to support agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation has reportedly been delayed for more than a week, raising concerns over disruptions to government operations and ongoing projects.
The affected agencies include the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), all of which fall under the supervision of the ministry.
Although the total amount approved by the President has not been officially disclosed, sources familiar with the development said the funds were approved about three weeks ago but have yet to be released due to an internal disagreement involving the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Binyerem Ukaire.
According to multiple officials, the permanent secretary has allegedly withheld approval for the disbursement after the heads of the agencies declined her request to appear before her and make detailed presentations on their activities, ongoing projects and how they intend to utilise the funds.
Several agency heads, who spoke anonymously for fear of possible reprisals, confirmed the delay. They argued that such a request falls outside established civil service procedures and that they are accountable to their governing boards and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, rather than the ministry’s permanent secretary.
One of the officials said the delay has already affected project execution and other operational activities across the agencies.
Another disclosed that despite the intervention of the minister, the permanent secretary maintained that the agency heads must first appear before her before she would approve the release of the funds.
The official maintained that while the permanent secretary could request written updates on agency activities, she lacked the authority to compel chief executives of autonomous agencies to make presentations before her.
A review of an existing circular issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on the relationship between ministries and parastatals supports the agencies’ position. The circular states that parastatals are established by law with significant operational autonomy to enable them to function efficiently outside the mainstream civil service.
It further provides that supervising ministries should not interfere in the day-to-day administration of agencies or assume direct control over their operations. On financial matters, the circular specifically cautions ministries against interfering in agency finances or diverting their statutory allocations for ministry-related expenditures.
Although the directive was issued on August 2, 1999, there is no evidence that it has been repealed or replaced.
When contacted for clarification, Permanent Secretary Binyerem Ukaire confirmed that the funds had not yet been released but said the payment process was still ongoing.
“The file is undergoing processing,” she said.
The development comes amid continued concerns over delays in the release of approved funds to federal ministries, departments and agencies under the Tinubu administration. In recent years, several MDAs have complained that although budgets are approved, delays in cash backing have slowed project execution, procurement processes and contract implementation.
The National Assembly has also repeatedly expressed concern over poor budget implementation, attributing the problem partly to delayed release of funds for approved projects.
To improve budget performance, the Federal Government has pledged to accelerate the release of funds and encouraged ministries and agencies to strengthen procurement planning to ensure quicker implementation once allocations are released.
The latest delay within the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation could further affect the implementation of projects and programmes across its agencies if the approved funds remain undisbursed, potentially disrupting operations, delaying contractor payments and undermining performance targets under the 2026 budget.
