Reps seek reorientation of NOA for proper mobilisation of Nigerians

The House of Representatives on Thursday mandated the Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethnic and Values, (when constituted), to conduct a public hearing on the challenges facing the National Orientation Agency with a view to charting a way forward to enable the Agency to fulfil its statutory mandate.

The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Olajide Olatubosun (APC-Oyo) who frowned at the failure of the agency to effectively discharge its statutory functions over the past 20 years of democratic dispensation.

“The Mass Mobilization for Self-Reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery (MAMSER), as the forerunner of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), even under a military dictatorship, effectively inspired Nigerians to attain appreciable level of awareness and constructive encasement in national issues on consistent basis with attendant citizenry training and awareness campaigns along with abiding jingles and signature tones.

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“The House is aware that most of the current national controversies that are adversely affecting our democratic growth and national development stem from ethnoreligious sentiments that are fuelled by a pathetic deficit of public discussion and policy contestations which have now assumed disturbing dimension on regular basis.

“The House observes that strategic awareness and enlightenment campaigns on government policies by the Agency in line with its foremost objectives to ensure that Federal Government programmes and policies are better understood by the public and mobilize favourable opinions for such programmes and policies amongst others, will serve as platform for discouraging the current wave of agitations among Nigerians.

“The Agency by its statutory mandate is not supposed to be a government propaganda machinery, but rather a veritable platform for collective engagement and dialogue that will give meaning to the political objectives enunciated in section 15(4) of the 1999 Constitution that the state shall foster a feeling of belonging and involvement among the various people of the Federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties,” Hon. Olatunbosun noted.

The motion was unanimously endorsed by the House when it was put into voice vote by the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila who précised over the plenary.