National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Defence Headquarters have agreed to work together towards imparting proper values to citizens including the military.
This was the outcome of a meeting between the Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa held at the DHQ yesterday.
During the visit, the Director General explained NOA’s mandates and highlighted its programmes aimed at modernizing its structures by establishing twenty-first-century platforms accessible to all arms of government and agencies.
Recognizing the pivotal role of the military in shaping the nation’s history, Mallam Issa Onilu emphasized the importance of collaboration in creating institutions that instill in citizens a clear understanding of Nigerian values.
He reiterated NOA’s commitment to ensuring that the National Value Charter (NVC) serve as more than a rhetoric, but rather as a catalyst for substantial societal change.
Acknowledging that youths constituted over 70% of Nigeria’s population, the Director General advocated for youth-centric policies tailored to address their needs.
Among the programmes the Agency is embarking on are:
– Implementation of nationalism studies from primary to tertiary levels.
– Launching a 37,000 Citizens’ Brigade aimed at fostering model citizenship.
– Incorporating local content in cartoon characters to instill Nigerian values in children aged 1-12, promoting respect for elders, one another, and the military.
The DG further briefed Gen. CG Musa on upcoming training sessions for first-class and second-class kings across Nigeria in peace and conflict resolution.
In response, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa assured NOA of the Nigeria Defense’s full support, emphasizing 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 stressed the significance of national pride, urged positive narratives about Nigeria in the creative industry and the incorporation of Nigerian symbolic monuments into souvenirs.
He emphasized that achieving peace required a multifaceted approach, with the military being just one aspect.
Paul Odenyi
