By Tony Adibe
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Enugu State has described as “a movement” the ongoing nation-wide sensitization and public enlightenment campaign on Nigeria’s new national anthem and national values charter.
NewsBits reports that NOA in Enugu joined the country-wide sensitization campaign which commenced Tuesday, October 8 and will last till the end of December. The campaign is on two fundamental symbols of Nigeria’s national identity – the new national anthem and the national values charter.
NewsBits gathered that the exercise would be extended to schools and colleges as well as tertiary institutions in the country, including the grassroots or rural areas so as to involve everyone.
“The nationwide sensitization 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 reflecting 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,” said the State Director of NOA, Mrs. Clara C. Nwachukwu, who addressed a press conference in their office at the Federal Secretariat, Independence Layout, Enugu on Tuesday.
She recalled that historically, Nigeria was born in 1914 following the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates by Lord Fredrick Lugard. According to her, due to her multilingual, multiethnic and multi-religious character, the country, since independence in 1960, has been struggling with the issue of national identity.
She added that the search for identity has been a problematic one, owing to the ever-increasing level of ethnic consciousness among Nigerians. Nwachukwu stated that while there was nothing wrong in acknowledging the socio-cultural and religious differences of the various ethnic nationalities in the country, Nigerians must not allow such to deny them the reality that they are now a people with a common destiny.
“It is worthy of mention that our diversities should be a pillar of strength rather than that of weakness,” she stressed. On the national values charter, Nwachukwu explained that the commencement of the implementation of National Values Charter in Enugu state was meant to foster moral, ethical and cultural reawakening among Nigerians in the State.
She further said that the National Values Charter, one of the key initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, is being implemented through the NOA. The charter was designed to instil the right values, attitudes, and perspectives in the hearts and minds of all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, ethnicity and class, according to the state director.
Nwachukwu further said: “The aim of the programme is to reorientate 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.”
She described the new National Anthem as a potent call for harmony, equity, and prosperity among Nigerians, urging the people of the state to hold tenaciously to the nation’s core values of love, patriotism, resilience, courage, the 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.
She advised that these values should not be sacrificed on the altar of unregulated adoption of foreign values. Nwachukwu stated: “Under the current administration, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has categorically stated that ‘We must build Nigerians to build Nigeria”, through sensitization and re-orientation campaign..
“The introduction of New National Anthem and the National Values Charter usher 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. “The national values charter is categorised into two: the Nigerian Promise ( the promises made by the Nigerian State through its elected representatives) and the Citizens Code (the 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.”
