VON solicits legislative support to deliver mandate

Voice of Nigeria (VON) on Tuesday solicited for parliamentary support to execute its mandate of effectively promoting Nigeria’s image to the outside world.

The Director General of VON, Mr Osita Okechukwu, made the plea in Abuja, while defending the agency’s budget for the 2019 fiscal year before the House of Representatives Committee on Information and National Orientation.

Okechukwu maintained that the agency had in line with government’s policy of reducing cost of governance, initiated a solar power project that would cut the cost of energy consumption.

He added that it would also ensure steady power for optimal performance.

“The project is to generate 1300mw to the agency and it will cost N550 million.

“In 2018, N250 million was approved out of which N237 million was released and was utilised for the construction of the solar power project with 400mw capacity,’’ he said.

Okechukwu also explained that apart from the solar power project, the agency in 2019 was given priority to renovate of its zonal and state offices.

He added that there were repairs of transmitters as well as electronic news gathering equipment, to enhance staff performance.

The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Olusegun Odubunmi, earlier reiterated the lawmakers’ resolve to uphold the constitutional guidelines in scrutinising the 2019 appropriation.

President Muhammadu Buhari presented the N8.83 trillion National budget before the joint session of the National Assembly on Dec. 19, 2018, the highest budget figure submitted by any administration in the past two decades of democracy in Nigeria.

The House in Jan. passed the second reading of the Appropriation Bill and committed the document to the committee on appropriation as part of measures adopted to ensure speedy passage of the document.