President Bola Tinubu is preparing to launch a National Values Charter to strengthen the nation’s value system and ethos.
This was made known by the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issah Onilu, while during a chat with newsmen in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, as part of his two-day visit to the state’s office of the agency.
He said the charter has two components which include the Nigerian Promise and the Code of Conduct.
Onilu made it clear that each of the components stands on seven pillars, dubbed, ‘Seven for Seven’.
He noted that part of the seven strategies for the restoration of national values is the introduction of compulsory Nationalism Studies in schools – from primary to university level; the introduction of Citizens’ Brigade to replace the Boys’ Scouts and Girls’ Guard with 37,000 members at take-off across the country; and the creation of cartoons with local content.
The NOA boss stressed that the agency would embark on global campaigns to show to the world Nigeria’s positive smartness and confidence, promoting the nation’s values with the acronym: CLHEEAN, which stands for Crime, Lawlessness, Health, Education, Environment, Abuse, and Narcotics.
He disclosed that the NOA would facilitate its national system and reorder its priorities towards restoring the nation’s values.
Onilu equally noted that the agency was creating platforms for enlightenment, including the creation of a mobile App, opening of radio and television studios at the NAO headquarters to directly produce materials to be sent out.
“We must have a national culture based on values,” he said.
Lamenting the nation’s poor reward system, Onilu stated that NOA was doing the best it could to “take oxygen from those misrepresenting us”.
He vowed to encourage excellence and positive developments by giving letters of commendation to those doing the nation proud.
