NOA begins sensitisation campaigns to instil national values in Enugu

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has hinted at its intention to begin a three-month state-wide sensitisation and public enlightenment campaign on Nigeria’s National Anthem and National Values Charter in Enugu State.

The Enugu State Director of the agency, Mrs. Clara Nwachukwu, stated in Enugu on Tuesday that the implementation of the National Values Charter in the state was meant to foster moral, ethical, and cultural reawakening among Nigerians in the state.

Nwachukwu added that the National Values Charter, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, is being implemented through the NOA.

She disclosed that the charter was designed to instil the right values, attitudes, and perspectives in the hearts and minds of all Nigerians.

“The aim of the programme is to reorient and redirect Nigerians, regardless of class, ethnicity, or religion, towards the values and principles that have long been associated with our culture and have been the foundation of our institutions and society.

“The introduction of the new National Anthem and the National Values Charter ushers in an important milestone for national pride and identity. This action reflects the changing ideals and aspirations of the nation.

“Values may be defined as accepted principles or standards of behaviour that are used to characterise individuals and societies,” Nwachukwu said.

According to the NOA chief, the National Values Charter is categorised into two: the Nigerian Promise (the promise made by the Nigerian state through its elected representatives) and the Citizens Code (obligations of the citizenry to nation-building).

“This social contract between the Nigerian state and its people is the pivot upon which countries are built and sustained,” she said.

Similarly, she described the new National Anthem as a potent call for harmony, equity, and prosperity among Nigerians.

Nwachukwu used the opportunity to call on Nigerians in Enugu State to hold tenaciously to the nation’s core values of love, patriotism, resilience, courage, dignity of labour, respect for the sanctity of life, belief in the family as a basic unit of society, justice, fairness, care for the environment, among others.

These, she advised, must not be sacrificed on the altar of unregulated adoption of foreign values.

She said: “The nationwide sensitisation is more than just a campaign. It is a movement. It is a movement that calls upon each of us as Nigerians to imbibe the shared values and spirit reflected in both our National Anthem and National Values Charter. As we move forward, let us remember that it is only through unity, respect, and commitment to these values that we can achieve the Nigeria of our dreams.”