Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the ministry would generate more revenue in 2017.
He made this known while defending the ministry’s 2017 budget before the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation on Thursday in Abuja.
Mohammed said that the ministry and its agencies planned to generate N128 million during the year as against N57 million in 2016.
He said that in view of the anticipated high budgetary provision to the ministry, the revenue projection for 2017 was slightly high.
He said that proposal for personnel cost for 2017 was N3.5 billion, with wages expected to gulp N3 billion while pensions would get N385 million.
“This provision is N200 million higher than that of 2016 because of promotions and other adjustments.”
Mohammed disclosed that N1.42 billion was proposed for facilitation of ministries, media appearance, upgrade of network and internet, grassroots campaign, manpower development and rehabilitation of national Press Centre, among others.
In a remark, Chairman of the committee, Sen. Suleiman Adokwe, said that there was need to put the information sector in the right perspective.
“At this period of recession, there is the need for the ministry to create activities that will be geared toward generating revenue as the economy is predicated on a lot of deficits.”