The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has begun a sensitisation campaign in Edo on government policies and programmes, value reorientation, flood control, the Nigerian identity project, national symbols, and security awareness.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday in Benin, Director-General of the agency, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, represented by Mrs Rebecca Nasamu, Director of General Services, said the initiative was part of the agency’s constitutional mandate.
Issa-Onilu said the mandate was to bridge the information gap between government and citizens while promoting value-driven civic engagement. He explained that the selected areas of focus were in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, designed to keep citizens better informed and empowered to participate in governance.
“Key amongst our mandates is the responsibility to sensitise the public on government policies, programmes and activities,” he said.
Highlighting reforms, Issa-Onilu noted that NOA had modernised its communication channels to reach a youthful, digitally active population. “We have reinvigorated our website, (www.noa.gov.ng), and deployed an artificial intelligence personnel. This, alongside our social media presence, has enabled us to meet the information needs of the younger generation,” he said.
He also said more than N59 billion had been disbursed to over 600,000 students under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), while over two million households were currently enrolled in the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. Trader money and farmer money initiatives were also being reintroduced.
On infrastructure, he disclosed that 700 rural schools were being renovated, and N110 billion had been set aside for the National Youth Investment Fund to support 150,000 youth entrepreneurs.
On security, he urged public vigilance. “More than 15,000 new security personnel have been deployed nationwide, but our call remains: if you see something, say something,” he said.
The campaign, he added, would reach millions of Nigerians through rallies, town hall meetings, road shows, and advocacy visits.
Earlier, Edo Director of NOA, Mr Osahon Woghiren, said the state would fully align with the national drive, especially on flood control and value reorientation. He urged residents to take NiMet’s 90 per cent accurate flood predictions seriously and avoid indiscriminate dumping of waste.
Woghiren also stressed the importance of reviving national values, particularly among young people. “This campaign focuses on value reorientation against extreme graduation practices which do not align with our values,” he said.
Calling for collective action, he urged Edo residents to cooperate with security agencies, stressing that security remained local.
(NAN)