NOA Flags Off Campaign On National Anthem, Value Charter
By: Victoria Agorom
As part of its statutory mandate to re-orientate, mobilize, sensitize and enlighten Nigerians on government plans, programmes and activities, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has kicked off a nation wide sensitization campaign on the new national anthem and the national value charter.
Addressing newsmen during a Press Conference in Abuja, the Director, NOA Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs. Ijeoma Joy Agbanusi, said that the Agency is taking a positive step to call for the renewing of the minds of Nigerians, in order to collectively build a better nation.
According to her, the Agency is spearheading the campaign to ensure that every Nigerian comes together in the shared principles offered in the national anthem and national values charter.
She stated that the Press Conference was a fore runner to unveiling a new paradigm shift in the annals of Nigeria’s history as always championed by NOA.
Her words: “We have come of age to boldly sit and champion the unveiling of critical initiatives that aim to rekindle our national pride and promote national unity amongst citizens. Obviously, it is high time we shift our focus on value systems that guide the behaviours of both leaders and the citizens. Today, we gather to reaffirm our commitment to the values that unite us as a nation”.
Agbanusi maintained that the national anthem and symbols represent the country’s collective identity, aspirations, and principles.
“The national anthem is a powerful expression of the history, struggles, and the triumph to be an independent nation and reminds us of the sacrifices of our forefathers and the dreams of a brighter future,” she added.
While charging Nigerians to internalize and sing the anthem with pride, so as to promote national unity, she posited that failure to see the differences and diversities as strength rather than weaknesses is the root of the major challenges bedeviling the country.
Agbanusi disclosed that the Agency is intensifying its campaigns to reach schools and the grassroots, using local languages and leveraging technology and social media, as well as artificial intelligence for wider reach and feedback.
In the same vein, the Agency, through its Chief Mobilizer, Ibrahim Umoru, called for strategic media partnerships and collaborations to help change present narratives.
He revealed that the Agency, in collaboration with its parent Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, has submitted to the Federal Executive Council some proposals, seeking to entrench the Agency’s value orientation programmes.
