What are the Objectives of National Orientation Agency

Introduction

The National Orientation Agency is that part or body of the Nigerian government that has the sole responsibility of handling communication in the Nigerian society, keeping the entire public on their feet with up to date and relevant information about happenings in the Nigerian society.

The National Orientation Agency is equally responsible for the promotion of unity, national service among citizens and patriotism. The body has a motto that guides their actions and deeds as a functional part of the Nigerian government focused on achieving the aims for which it was built or founded. The motto of the National Orientation Agency reads: “Do the right thing: transform Nigeria”.

What is The National Agency?

The National Agency of Nigeria was founded in the year 2005, with a set of preceding objectives that were laid down in decree 100 of 1993. The National Orientation Agency has from its inception concerned itself with not only communication matters in the Nigerian society but also with health issues and national electoral matters to stand and fight against electoral violence during national, state and local elections.

In 2012, Dr Mike Omeri was appointed Director-General of the National Orientation Agency. According to the records and claims of the agency, The National Orientation Agency has been able to reach a concluding 64 percentage of the Nigerian population.

The Agency has a body of member staff of about 5000. Found in the entire 36 states of the nation and in every Local Government council in the country having an office. With its headquarters at the Capital city of Nigeria, Abuja, the objectives of The National Orientation Agency are as in the Decree 100 0f 1993.

With a Mission statement to guide the thoughts and actions of the body which reads as thus: To consistently raise awareness, to change attitudes positively, values and behaviors accurately and to adequately inform and sufficiently mobilize citizens to act in ways that tend to promote peace and harmony in the nation.

The vision statement of the National Orientation Agency is: To develop a Nigerian society that is orderly, responsible and disciplined, where citizens are able to demonstrate core values exhibiting honesty, hard work and patriotism.

Objectives of the National Orientation Agency

According to the Decree 100 of 1993, the main objective of The National Orientation Agency are to ensure that Government programs and policies are better understood by the general public and to mobilize favorable public opinion for such programs and policies.

The rest of the objectives of the body include;

• To mobilize favourable public opinion for programs and such policies to promote that.
• To encourage informal education through public enlightenment activities and publications.
• To establish feedback channels to the government on all aspects of Nigerian national life.
• To foster respect for constituted authority
• To instil a sense of loyalty to the fatherland in citizens of the nation.
• To promote new sets of attitudes and culture for the attainment of these goals and objectives of a united Nigerian state.
• To encourage the people to actively and freely participate in discussions of national matters.
• To develop among every Nigerian, regardless of sex, age, socio-cultural values and awareness which will inculcate the spirit of patriotism, nationalism, self-discipline and self-reliance.
• To ensure and uphold leadership by example.
• To awaken in citizens, the consciousness to their responsibilities to the promotion of national unity, citizens’ commitment to their human rights as regards building a free, progressive and just society.
• To establish an appropriate framework of national value, promoting education, orientation and indoctrination of Nigerians towards attitudes, values and culture which project individual’s national pride and positive national image for the Nigerian nation.

The Agency has its specific functions as a body and some of these functions include;

• The mobilization of favourable public opinion and the support for Government policies, programs and activities.
• To re-orient the populace on power, its use and the proper role of government in serving the collective interest of Nigerians.
• To propagate and promote dignity and spirit of labour, honesty and commitment to qualitative production, promotion and consumption of home-produced commodities and services.
• The collection, collation analysis and provision of feedback from the public to government on its policies, programs and activities.
• To propagate the need to eschew all vices in public life, which includes corruption, dishonesty, electoral and census malpractice, ethnic parochial and religious bigotry.

The National Orientation Agency partners with other bodies like the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and a host of other bodies, including different states in the nation in order to see that its aims and objectives are achieved.