Insecurity, ethnic clashes: Reps ask NOA to wake up to its mandate

 

 

 

 

Insecurity, ethnic clashes: Reps ask NOA to wake up to its mandate

 

By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Abuja House of Representatives has asked the National Orientation Agency, NOA to wake up to its responsibilities and be more efficient in value reorientation and public education of Nigerians. The House also urged the agency to synergize with the federal government on combating social vices such as communal clashes, terrorism, xenophobic attacks, anti-corruption war among others.

The House made the call following a perceived drop in the efforts of the NOA to re-orientate the Nigerians populace. Considering a motion captioned “Call to Re-invigorate the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for Impactful Discharge of its Mandate”, presented by Hon. Shina Peller at Tuesday plenary, the House said that social vices had increased since the return of democracy in 1999.

Earlier in the motion, Peller noted that the National Orientation Agency was established in 1993 and by the virtue of its enabling Act, the Agency was mandated to re-orientate Nigerians and encourage them to take part actively and freely in discussions and decisions affecting their collective welfare. He added that the functions of the National Orientation Agency as stipulated in Sections 3 of the NOA Act include enlightening the general public on Federal Government Policies and Programmes; mobilize favourable opinion of Federal Government Policies and Programmes; collect and collate feedback to the Public on Federal Government programmes and Policies; energize the conscience of all categories of Nigerians on their rights, privileges, responsibilities and obligations as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; re-orientate Nigerians on their general attitude to waste and affluent lifestyles; propagate on the need to eschew all vices in public life, such as corruption, dishonesty, ethnic, parochial and religious bigotry. He said: “The House is aware that since 1999, Nigeria has been bedevilled with several problems, ranging from communal clashes, religious and ethnic bigotry, terrorism, religious extremism, large scale corruption and in recent past became victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

“These vices have affected Nigeria’s image outside the country, which to a large extent led to ill-treatment of Nigerians abroad and the last Xenophobic attacks in South Africa would have been avoided if the National Orientation Agency had orientated Nigerians “The National Orientation Agency has failed to rise up to its responsibility of disseminating information and re-orienting Nigerians during this COVID–19 Pandemic”. Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to ensure the increase in the budgetary allocation of the National Orientation Agency in the 2022 Appropriation budget estimates for optimal performance.

 

 Nigeria News Paper