NOA seeks Defence Headquarters’ partnership on values re-orientation
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has partnered with the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) to instill Nigerian values in citizens.
This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Friday by NOA Deputy Director Press, Mr Paul Odenyi.
The Director-General of NOA, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said this when he paid a visit to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
Recognising the pivotal role of the military in shaping the nation’s history, Issa-Onilu emphasised the importance of collaboration in creating institutions that instill in citizens a clear understanding of Nigerian values including the military.
The director-general said that the agency’s mandates and programmes aimed at modernising its structures by establishing 21st century platforms accessible to all arms of government and agencies.
He reiterated NOA’s commitment to ensuring that the National Value Charter (NVC) served more as rhetoric, rather than a catalyst for substantial societal change.
The NOA boss advocated for youth-centric policies tailored to address their needs, acknowledging that youths constituted over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population.
“The Agency is embarking on
programmes such as
implementation of nationalism studies from primary to tertiary levels.
“Launching of 37,000 Citizens’ Brigade aimed at fostering model citizenship, as well as incorporating local content in cartoon characters to instill Nigerian values in children aged 1-12, by promoting respect for elders, one another, and the military, ” he said.
He informed DHQ chief on its upcoming training sessions for first-class and second-class kings across Nigeria in peace and conflict resolution.
Earlier, Gen. Musa assured the NOA boss of Nigeria Defence’s full support, emphasising on the long-awaited nature of the agency’s programmes.
He advocated for the armed forces’ involvement in the planning committee, citing their historical wealth of knowledge.
The Chief of Defense Staff emphasised the importance of national pride, canvasing positive narratives about Nigeria in the creative industry and the incorporation of Nigerian symbolic monuments into souvenirs.
He added that achieving peace required a multifaceted approach with the military being just one aspect.
