Concerned stakeholders have urged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to enhance its campaigns aimed at reorienting Nigerian youths on moral and ethical values, amid rising concerns over the erosion of societal norms and the increasing involvement of young people in negative behaviour.
The call was made during a town hall meeting held in Ibadan on Thursday, as part of NOA’s nationwide enlightenment campaign on national values and civic responsibility.
The campaign also covered four other key thematic areas: flood mitigation, the Nigerian identity project and national symbols, national security awareness, and public enlightenment on government policies, programmes, and activities.
They commended NOA for reawakening Nigerians’ consciousness of the need to be aware of government policies and programmes.
They urged the agency to intensify its various programmes towards attitudinal change on values and ethical behaviours of Nigerian youths.
The Ibadan Zonal Director of NTA, Mr Taiwo Iterogba, who decried moral decadence among youths, urged NOA to focus on the re-orientation of youths.
Iterogba noted that moral values were gradually eroding, and charged parents and guardians to take up responsibility for instilling good moral values in their children and wards.
He emphasised that youths are the nation’s future leaders. Therefore, society must take immediate action to secure the future by instilling strong moral values in children.
Corroborating the NTA director’s view, representatives of the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services, CSP Ademola Adegoke and DSS Assistant Director EA Uzomo, respectively, stated that the prevalence of social vices among youths demands attention from all stakeholders.
Adegoke urged parents to monitor their children’s daily activities and inculcate good moral values in them.
Uzomo charged the general public to be their brother’s keeper, saying this would enhance the efforts of security agents in addressing insecurity.
Both officials promised to collaborate with NOA in creating awareness of security issues.
Representatives of religious leaders in Ibadan North Local Government Area, namely Rev. David Ojo (Christianity), Alhaji Salahudeen Busari (Islam), and Chief Oyelakin Awolola (Traditional), also called for urgent action to address declining moral values among youths.
Blaming parents for the moral decadence among youth, the trio urged parents and guardians to inculcate good moral values in their children while also calling on Nigerians to support government with prayers to actualise its policies and programs
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion and a former NOA Director in Oyo State, Chief Moshood Olaleye, highlighted some of the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the areas of infrastructure, education, and the economy.
According to him, the current administration has ensured stability in the naira and dollar exchange rates, provided loans and bursaries to students, and embarked on the construction of the 750 km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project, as well as the recruitment of over 20000 community police officers, among other achievements.
In his speech, the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, stated that the agency would engage the public to better understand government policies during the third quarter nationwide sensitisation.
Issa-Onilu, whose speech was read by the Oyo State NOA Director, Mrs Ajolayo Akande, said the campaign will be carried out across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the 774 local government areas of the country.
According to him, the agency will focus on government policies and programmes such as the NELFUND Students Loan, Social Safety Nets Expansion, Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund, National Youth Investment Fund, and the Industrial Training Fund.
Other policies include Flooding and Disaster Preparedness; National Security Awareness; Re orientation of National Values; and the Nigerian Identity and National Symbols Sensitisation.
He explained that the campaign would be carried out through press conferences, town hall meetings, advocacy visits, and visits to schools, traditional rulers, motor parks, and markets across Nigeria.
The Director-General hinted that 600000 students have benefited from the NELFUND students’ loan, while over two million households have also benefited from the federal government’s Conditional Cash Transfer, among other programmes.
In the security sector, Issa -Onilu mentioned that 15000 new security personnel have been deployed nationwide, along with the integration of modern technologies such as drones, armoured vehicles, and surveillance systems to address the diverse security challenges facing the country.
