By Sunday Stephen
A massive flow of federal funds into the Ministry of Information and National Orientation has ignited a storm of allegations, as excitement over the windfall gives way to rising concerns about financial mismanagement and lack of transparency.
At the center of the unfolding saga is the Information Minister,Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, credited with securing a presidentially approved financial intervention to revamp state-owned media organizations and boost public communication. But while the funding is being hailed as timely and strategic, its disbursement and usage have drawn fire from within and beyond the ministry.
According to insiders, the minister held private sessions with heads of key media agencies to announce the allocations. The figures are eye-popping: N10 billion to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), N8 billion to the National Orientation Agency (NOA), N7 billion to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), N5 billion to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), N4 billion to Voice of Nigeria (VON), and N3 billion to the Nigeria Press Council (NPC).
Barely weeks after the disbursements, agencies began rolling out procurement plans, with reports of rushed contracts and questionable expenses.
At VON, N50 million was allegedly disbursed to contractors last week alone. The urgency triggered the withdrawal of the Head of Procurement from a World Bank training in Abuja to oversee “priority projects.”
Allegations have also surfaced around the misuse of Duty Tour Allowances (DTA), with some staff reportedly coerced into paying kickbacks after submitting inflated travel claims.
Sources claim the intervention fund is intended for high-capacity broadcast equipment, IT upgrades, consumables, and monitoring infrastructure. However, with no clear oversight or transparency, watchdogs fear the funds may be frittered away.
Tempers flared further following a press conference by VON staff in Lagos on 15 July 2025, where internal grievances were aired. Staff decried arbitrary transfers, including postings to non-existent offices in states like Zamfara, Kaduna, and Borno. Whistleblowers also cited wasteful spending,alleging that VON burns through N67 million monthly on overheads, excluding capital budgets.
Leadership at several agencies is also under scrutiny. At VON, its Director-General, Alhaji Jibrin Baba Ndace is alleged to have requested N2 million from the Finance Director ahead of a trip to the Middle East. The Director of Engineering, meanwhile, has reportedly embarked on just one technical visit to China while the DG is globetrotting.
At FRCN, financial operations are said to be dominated by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Alhaji Musa Bako, amid concerns over alleged leadership vacuum, as the DG is rumored to be exploring a political bid, possibly as a successor to Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum.
NAN’s leadership has reportedly been cautioned that it may not receive the full amount of its initial allocation. Similar threats of cuts hang over VON, which may lose up to N250 million; FRCN and NAN face possible deductions of N500 million each, while NTA and NOA might forfeit N1 billion respectively.
The revelations have prompted calls for a sweeping audit by the Auditor-General, National Assembly, and anti-corruption agencies. Civil society organizations and media observers are also demanding full disclosure and accountability.
Attempts to get official responses proved futile. The VON DG was said to be unavailable on Tuesday and locked in high-level meetings on Wednesday. The Minister of Information also reportedly travelled and was later engaged in a strategic session with senior officials. Repeated efforts to reach his spokesperson were unsuccessful.
So far, neither the Ministry nor any of the affected agencies have issued a formal statement.
As clouds gather over what was intended to revitalize Nigeria’s public information space, stakeholders now watch closely, hoping the naira rain doesn’t flood into yet another storm of scandal and squander.
