The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has rejected claims by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) that it is exceeding its statutory mandate through its involvement in the proposed National Learner Identification Number (LIN) initiative.
NANS, in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, had opposed the proposed LIN, describing it as unnecessary and potentially duplicative of the National Identification Number (NIN). The students’ body also questioned NOA’s involvement, alleging that the Agency was promoting an identification system outside its statutory responsibilities.
However, the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, clarified that the Agency is neither the originator nor the implementing authority for the proposed LIN initiative.
Issa-Onilu explained that NOA’s involvement is limited to its statutory responsibility of communicating government policies, programmes and activities to citizens, while facilitating meaningful engagement between the government and the people.
He said the Agency’s communication mandate covers government policies and programmes generally and is not restricted to initiatives formulated or implemented by NOA.
“As the primary government agency responsible for public orientation, NOA works across Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that citizens receive accurate, timely and understandable information about government policies, programmes and activities,” he said.
The NOA boss stressed the distinction between policy formulation, implementation and communication, noting that the relevant authorities driving the LIN initiative remain responsible for its formulation and implementation.
According to him, NOA’s role is to explain the policy to Nigerians in clear and accessible terms and provide platforms through which citizens can express their views, concerns and reactions.
He said the two-way communication approach was central to the Agency’s renewed public engagement strategy, particularly through its “Pulse of the Nation” reports, which capture citizens’ opinions and reactions and feed them back into government.
Issa-Onilu acknowledged NANS as an important stakeholder whose voice should be heard on policies affecting students, but urged the students’ body to direct its substantive concerns about the LIN initiative to the appropriate government institution.
He emphasised that communicating a government policy does not amount to formulating, imposing or implementing the policy.
“NOA’s role is to ensure that citizens understand what government is doing, why it is doing it and how they can engage with it. This is fundamentally different from being the institution that formulates or implements the policy,” he said.
Issa-Onilu therefore urged NANS and other stakeholders to distinguish between the responsibilities of the institution driving a government policy and those of NOA as the government agency mandated to communicate such policies to the public.
He added that NOA remains open to constructive engagement with NANS, students and other stakeholders on the proposed LIN, including questions concerning its relationship with the NIN.
Such engagement, he said, is a core part of NOA’s mandate as a bridge between government and citizens and should not be misconstrued as an overreach of the Agency’s statutory responsibilities.
The Director-General reaffirmed NOA’s commitment to transparent, inclusive and two-way communication with Nigerians, stressing that citizens’ concerns and perspectives remain essential to effective public policy communication and democratic governance.
