A permanent secretary in Nigeria’s Ministry of Information and National Orientation has reportedly blocked the release of funds approved by President Bola Tinubu for five major media agencies ā including NTA, FRCN and VON ā after the heads of those agencies declined her request to appear before her and make presentations on their operations.
A bureaucratic power struggle is holding presidential funds hostage in Abuja ā and it has been going on for over a week.
Binyerem Ukaire, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, has reportedly refused to approve payment files releasing funds that President Bola Tinubu approved three weeks ago for five agencies under the ministry. The affected institutions are the Nigerian Television Authority, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, the Voice of Nigeria, the National Orientation Agency and the National Broadcasting Commission.
According to The Cable, the stalemate began after Ukaire requested that agency heads appear before her to make detailed presentations on their activities, ongoing projects and planned utilisation of the funds. The agency heads reportedly declined, arguing the request was inconsistent with established civil service practice ā with at least one head asserting that they are answerable only to their boards and supervising minister, not to permanent secretaries.
Minister of Information Mohammed Idris is said to have stepped in to resolve the impasse. However, sources told Premium Times that the permanent secretary refused to back down, maintaining that the agency heads must appear before her before any funds are released.
Multiple agency heads confirmed the situation to Premium Times but requested anonymity, citing fears of victimisation. The total sum approved by the president has not been publicly disclosed, though the funds were described as intended to strengthen the operational capacity of the agencies.
No official explanation for the continued delay has been issued by the ministry. The standoff has now stretched beyond a week with the funds remaining unreleased.
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