The National Orientation Agency (NOA) was established in 1993 by Decree 100, which was ratified by the National Assembly as Act No. 24 of 2004. Its principal function as a government institution is to communicate government policies, promote patriotism, national unity and help develop the Nigerian society.
NOA metamorphosed from the Mass Mobilization for Self-Reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery, which went by the acronym, MAMSER, an agency set up during the military regime of President Ibrahim Babangida, for broadly the same purpose that NOA is pursuing today. In its days, Nigerians would recall that MAMSER achieved an appreciable level of acclaim under the leadership of Professor Jerry Gana, who was visibly and actively involved in getting Nigerians to rally behind the stated aims of mobilizing people to imbibe the positive values of civic responsibility, social diligence and patriotism. NOA, as one of the key agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information, is expected to apply the tools of mass mobilization, public enlightenment and information dissemination to reach out to the critical mass of Nigerians in this regard.
By and large, Nigerians believe NOA, which has been in existence for decades, has not lived up to this mandate in its operations. By its operational mode, NOA is largely driven on the commitment and drive of its director-general, who is expected to conceptualise and practicalise the objectives of the agency in pursuit of its goals. We saw some of this during the tenure of Mike Omeri, in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, who brought his influence and drive in running the affairs of the agency and thus creating the sort of impact which Nigerians expected. It was to a large extent the best time that Nigerians saw NOA live up to its billing. Since then, NOA has noticeably lapsed into a state of inertia, where its presence and impact are hardly felt.
This is unfortunate and lamentable as indeed at no time is NOA more needed than the present times when the morale and patriotism of Nigerians are probably at their lowest. Many Nigerians now feel despondent about the state of affairs in the country to the extent that leaving to seek greener pastures elsewhere has become alarmingly high. The incidents of banditry, kidnapping and frequent communal sectarian crises leading to deaths engender not only an acute feeling of insecurity. They also create a sense of hopelessness about the future among the citizens. Added to the prevailing harsh social and economic circumstances in the country, there is a growing sense of indifference to the values of civic responsibility and commitment to national ethos.
To a very large extent, the situation has led to the so-called ‘japa’ syndrome, especially among the younger population, a development which has seen millions embark on desperate and potentially perilous attempts to leave the country. This leads not only to needless deaths on the part of those involved, it also robs the country of its active, vibrant and energetic population on which the future development of the country depends. The rate of moral decay is also high among the populace.
As an agency tasked with the mandate of building national cohesion, NOA’s intervention is needed to close the widening gap in orienting the citizens towards meeting and resolving the existential challenges the country faces. It is a task that the NOA must not shy away from under whatever excuses.
The present leadership of NOA should see it as a national duty to bring the agency up to scratch in facing up to the numerous responsibilities before it. After years of relative inaction, Nigerians need the NOA to be up and doing in mobilizing the citizens towards observing their civic responsibilities to the nation. The director-general should bring the necessary drive and innovation to revive the agency and position it in the direction of national orientation. We believe that if he sets his efforts towards this task and is seen to be actively working in this endeavour, he will get the necessary support from both the government and Nigerians to achieve the goals required.
Something must be done about the rate of decay in society and the time for the NOA to rise to the occasion is now.
