FEC okays plan to strengthen national value system in schools

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday, approved the establishment of the National Citizens Value Brigade across primary and secondary schools to stem declining value and raise role models and ambassadors for the country.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed during a media briefing after the FEC’s meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

Idris said that FEC also gave approvals to several changes in the ministry’s policies to strengthen the national value system, precisely the institution of national citizens’ value brigade across basic schools.

According to the minister, the Council expressed dismay at the gradual erosion of values, especially among the younger ones, a development, the FEC said, had given rise to all forms of misconduct and acts that are not in tune with Nigeria’s traditions and norms.

He said: “Today, the FEC has approved several changes in our policy to strengthen our national value system, the chief of it is that the national citizen’s value brigade has been approved to be established in all our primary and secondary schools.

“This will raise the role model citizens from Nigeria. The Council has noted the gradual eroding of our values, especially among the younger ones and this is giving rise to a kind of misbehaviour and acts that are not in tune with our traditions and norms.

“The Council has noted that there is a need for strengthening and going back to the core value that Nigeria is known for overtime for which we know that there have been some forms of decline.”

The minister said FEC also approved the inclusion of a national value charter to be made mandatory in basic and post-basic school curricula. This, according to him, is in addition to the approved standardisation of national symbols.

He said that this would be a crucial aspect of the topics to be taught in Civic Education as well as instituted, and adopted among government appointees at the point of entry into the public service.

Idris said that the Council had approved the standardisation of national symbols, saying: “The Council has approved that the National Orientation Agency will take charge of the way our flags are hoisted in cars, offices and elsewhere at all times.

“There is also the need for value reorientation among Nigerians and this of course, the administration will pay a lot of attention to.”

He said that the objective was to reclaim the declined value system while the government hoped the actions would move the nation further in the direction of a sustainable development path that all citizens desire.