NOA urges radical campaign for value orientation, attitudinal change
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Tuesday, called for a radical approach to national value orientation and attitudinal change campaign to encourage patriotism and unity among Nigerians.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, made the call at a news briefing in Umuahia to sensitise Nigerians on the country’s National Anthem and National Values Charter.
Issa-Onilu, represented by the Director of Public Enlightenment and Mass Mobilisation, Mrs Theresa Maduekwe, said that the campaign would include the development of a curriculum for citizenship education.
He said that the campaign would be executed through the establishment of National Values Brigade in all schools and implementation of the National Identity Project.
He said that the campaign would promote the entrenchment of value orientation processes through young age indoctrination and provision of template for evaluation of the real Nigerian character.
The NOA boss also said that the agency had been mandated by the Federal Executive Council to ensure the restoration of national dignity and standardisation of national symbols.
He listed the national symbols to include the National Flag, National Anthem, National Pledge and the Coat of Arms.
He said: “The council approved that the first stanza of the National Anthem should be rendered at all official functions.
“It approved that the three stanzas should be for special occasions such as Independence Day, Democracy Day, and inauguration of the National Assembly, Children’s Day, Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Workers Day.
“The third stanza of the new National Anthem be adopted as a national prayer.”
Issa-Onilu said that NOA have the responsibility to ensure that the national symbols are accorded respect, properly displayed and handled to promote strong national identity, unity and pride.
He said that the Federal Government had evolved a National Values Charter, which would be included in schools curricular to form an important component for government officials pre-resumption retreat.
He said that the agency had adopted new methodologies to reach the citizens, especially the young people that make up 70 per cent of the nation’s population, to promote government’s programmes and policies.
Issa-Onilu said that the agency had developed an Artificial Intelligence tool, known as CHLEEAN, to address the challenges of the new media landscape.
The CHLEEAN community project by NOA is a citizens-based plan focused on addressing crime, hygiene and health, lawlessness, environment, education, abuse and narcotics.
He said that other platforms that form part of NOA’s broader strategy include the Explainer Newsletter, Mobiliser App, In-house studios, Learn2Win Gamification, social media, and community engagements, among others.
“These platforms are part of NOA’s strategy to leverage modern communication technologies and methods to effectively reach diverse audience segments across Nigeria,” Issa-Onilu said.
In a remark, the State Coordinator of NOA, Mrs Regina Iroha, said that the agency had been given the mandate to promote government programmes and policies.
Iroha said that the agency had the duty to “sensitise the citizenry on what is expected of them and to provide government with the feedback on citizens’ expectations from the government”.
