The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has cautioned Nigerians to desist from making negative remarks about the country, saying “We must never condemn, curse, or speak evil about our country. Words have power.“
Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, NOA’s director-general, made the call at the Stakeholders / Town Hall meeting on National Anthem and National Values Charter, in Akure, Ondo State.
Represented by
Mrs Olorunfemi Olubukola, Director Reforms Coordination and Service Improvement NOA, Issa-Onilu stressed the need for citizens to remain patriotic at all times.
He announced a nationwide sensitisation campaign aimed at fostering positive attitudes and unity, adding that a thousand brigade members would be recruited from schools in each state to promote national unity.
He said “The National Orientation Agency is embarking on a nationwide sensitization to propagate and mobilize Nigerian citizens both young and old to promote those things that make an individual, a group of people to be called a nation and identified with certain mannerisms, behaviour and attitude to be recognized in us and identified with us as a people of the Nigerian nation.
“At Independence in 1960, we had all the yardsticks that could define us as a country on a journey to nationhood but over the years, these qualities, standards, began to collapse, fade away, until the culture, value, norms and what brought us together gave way and no sense of nationhood was promoted but individuality, ethnicity, egocentricism, and bigotry divided the people more than ever before.
“In realizing this, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2024 reinstated the Old National Anthem “Nigeria We Hail Thee” which was signed into law by the joint session of the National Assembly and its usage was with immediate effect.
“What is the National Anthem?
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and tradition of a country or nation which represents a country’s identity ,unity and national pride.
“Why the change at this point?
The anthem brings us back to the nostalgic feeling of how the nation was at independence. We had leaders then, the narrative that was uppermost at the time was that we have different cultures but we are brothers, we are Nigerians – no matter the differences we have, we are brothers.
“It emphasizes what many have advocated for that it be brought back because it addressed our contemporary issues. The President is concerned with the issues of national cohesion and building a sense of national unity for national development and projecting Nigeria into the country which it ought to be within the comity of nations and the African Continent.
“Secondly, we must begin to emphasize the sense of patriotism. The worlds/lyrics- of the National Anthem works up empathy, patriotism for the country. It is speaking to the individual.
“Love of a country must not depend on the performance of a government per time. You must love your country in and out of season at all times. You must endure, we have no other country and the country is richly endowed with both human and material resources.
“We must never condemn, curse or speak evil against our country .Words have power.
“These factors are being put together to return to our root, it is our land of birth, our own, we are looking for a way to cohere, the easiest way to exist together with a call to duty. Let us down play politics.
“The National Anthem reflects the aspirations and value of the founding fathers when you read it word by word, salutation to ourselves, internalize it to our fatherland, no matter how bad the situation may be, Nigeria houses all of us though tribes and tongues may differ. We don’t have to deny or pretend about this that our tongue ,tribes, religion, culture, tradition differ but in the midst of all these, it reminds us that in brotherhood we stand.
“These are the spirit and embodiment of the new Nigeria we want to project in our children and present youth. The Anthem has come to deliberately, consciously and unconsciously join hands together and work as a people of a nation. We can’t do it alone.
“De-emphasizing the human component in the affairs of the country is dangerous, unless you have the mind and spirit of the people in what you try to do.
“ The people are a heavy infrastructure and there is urgent need to drive all of us together to fight the monumental problems that confront our country. It is strongly and extremely important to get the citizens to love their country and to believe we are able to exit these present period of challenges and hardships.
“45years down are 93% of our population demograph born after the independence. Citizens is an entity different from a transient government that comes and go. You may hate the policies of an administration, but not hate your country.
“We must internalize the anthem to wheep the spirit of patriotism in us.We must stand at military attention with no movement at all while reciting the National anthem.
“The National Identity Project
The search for identity for us an individual and as a people has been challenged by the consciousness that we belonged to one ethnic group or the other before we were brought together under one country.
“Our differences and diversity should be seen as strength rather than weaknesses. The lack of understanding and acceptance of this reality is the root cause of the various problems undermining this great nations’ growth and development.
“The different ethnic groups that make up the nation have made disparaging remarks about their culture, religion, values and everything that define us instead of seeing these sources as sources of strength to build one of the greatest nations on earth.
How can we correct this?
“Attempts have been made by past administrations by evolving slogans as “ Nigeria, Great Nation, Great People,” and “Change Begins With Me” These are efforts geared at building a nation with positive values – principles, beliefs and ideologies shaping us as individuals and people.
“Therefore, as individuals we must have values, beliefs and principles that define our identity without which the individual is unguarded and lost and a nation without it will remain backward.
“Hence, the National Identity Project is to redirect all Nigerians irrespective of class, ethnicity and religion to the ideals and values for which we were traditionally known and used to build our societies and their institutions.“
NATIONAL VALUES CHARTER
Values are universally recognized as beliefs and ideologies that guide an individual or a nation toward a desired goal. Values are the driving force that motivates individuals, communities and nations to make ethical and moral decisions. Without values, no society can function properly and achieve its desired goals which include peace, prosperity, freedom, sense of belonging and inclusivity. Values are derived from the culture and tradition of the people and they are impacted through a socialization process. The socialization process begins with the family.
This means each individual family must have their values, and these values must fit into the larger values of the society. Our values changed over the years as society changes.
It is for this reason that the Nigeria Values Charter becomes highly important to redirect Nigerians. it is important for us as a people to define our identity and our values and live according to them.
We have sacrificed a lot on the altar of civilization and modernity and we have seen and suffered the consequences of our lapses and laxities.
To achieve this, the National Values Charter has been designed by the Director General, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu as part of universal values that leading nations have used and are still using as values that will guide all Nigerian leaders and followers in their daily lives whether in private or public lives.
It is divided into two broad sections namely: The Nigerian Promise (Seven Core Promises made by the country as represented by all elected leaders and the Citizens commitment to the Nigerian State (Seven point obligations of the citizenry to contribute to the nation).
The Charter captures the social bond that guides the relationships that exist between the Nigerian people and the State as represented by all its agents and organs.
The first segment is the 7 for 7 Charter presents the critical responsibilities of the government and its officials. These are: Equality, Democracy, Entrepreneurship, Peace, Inclusivity Freedom, Meritocracy.
The second segment explains the key values and obligations that are expected of the citizens everywhere. They constitute: Discipline, Duty of Care, Tolerance, Leadership, Transparency, Environmental Awareness, Resilience.
It is our belief in NOA that these seven promises of the Nigerian State to her citizens and the seven obligations of the citizens to the nation (Seven for Seven), if kept, by both parties, shall indeed set the nation on the path to tranquility and long lasting peace and progress.
