The Nigeria government said it has realised the need to take information to the people at the grassroots, hence, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, will soon start a town hall meeting across the country to explain policies and programmes of the present administration.
The presidency, however, faulted the leadership of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for under performance of it duties, adding that the agency was trying to undermine the present administration.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, at the weekend, Senior Special Assistant to the President of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the federal government has concluded plans to begin direct conversations through town hall meetings nationwide.
“The issue about town hall meeting you mentioned. I know that there is a plan that Professor Osinbajo the Vice President would start town hall meetings in zones and then it would be broken down to the state and so on government realises that there is a need to take information to the people and there are steps that are been taken in order to ensure that is done.”
On the failure of NOA to deliver on its mandate, the President Buhari’s spokesman said: “We have an agency like NOA with 773 offices nationwide, each has not less than 5-7 staff, well equipped but you know also, sometimes democracy has its own dark side.
“The President came and he wanted to really be fair to every Chief Executive if he wanted to fire people on assumption he would have done it and he would not have violated any rule, but he decided to give everyone a chance to see whether they would imbibe the change mantra, or they prepared to come along.
“I will say with all sincerity that I know that the NOA had worried us in government, the people and the leadership never believe in what we are doing, they never believe in change, they just fold their arms and watch us from all this period 8-9 months when they are there, I believe the new leadership would begin to formulate things for agencies like that.”
