By Precious Ireoluwa
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has advised that Nigerians should embrace things that will promote the country.
Issa-Onilu gave the indication in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, at a stakeholders meeting as part of the agency’s two-week programmes focusing on five thematic areas of national enlightenment campaign involving mitigating flooding, government policies and programmes, national identity project, national symbols and national security awareness.
Represented by the the Ekiti state Director of the Agency, Mrs Oluwakemi Akomolede, he said it is imperative to acquaint the people of Ekiti state with the campaign because a lot of things are going on in Nigeria these days and that, there is need to discuss them for people to know. He explained that it is important to restore the nation’s eroded values to the communities.
To him, flood mitigation is in focus because of how people have decided to do what they like with the environment particularly indiscriminate dumping of refuse on water channels and erecting buildings on waterways. He pointed out that there are ways in which wastes can be turned into wealth. Another area of consideration was the Sign-off practices that are going on at the kindergarten to tertiary institutions in the country, where wearing of graduation gowns take place.
Ekiti state Director of the Agency, Mrs Oluwakemi Akomolede, said Ekiti state would not be left out of the campaign of Sign-off. Hence, the programme is being driven home so that the government will look into the issue, if not total ban, it should find a way of regulating it.
Mrs Akomolede added that national symbols should be respected, while the people should be patriotic in the country. She enjoined youths to imbibe good character.
The traditional ruler of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Ajakaye, who was represented by High Chief Tope Aluko, commended the federal government for deeming it fit to come up with such programme. He appealed to the government for proper funding of the Agency to enable it engage citizens in fundamental national issue.
The programme focused on, “Values Re- orientation For Secondary and Tertiary Institutions Student in Sign-out Extreme Practices”.
Traditional rulers, security agents, market women and men, students, youth bodies, the media, among other stakeholders took turns to contribute to the discourse.
