The National Orientation Agency has urged Nigerians to always have a positive mind-set towards the country to make it a better place to live.
The Director General of the Agency, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, gave advice during a press conference to in Umouahia, Abia State on Tuesday.
He explained that he was in Umouahia “to bring about to the knowledge of all in Abia State, what the Agency is doing in five topical areas”.
Issa-Onilu, who was represented by Mrs. Theresa Maduekwe, listed the five areas to include “government policies, programs and activities, flooding and disaster preparedness, national security awareness towards achieving improved security consciousness in Nigerian communities.
Others include national values reorientation (for Students of secondary and tertiary institutions against “sign-out extreme practices and Youths) and Nigerian Identity project and national symbols sensitization.
He said, “The key amongst these mandates is the responsibility to sensitize the public on government policies, programs and activities.
In recent times, the agency has expanded its messaging platforms to meet the diverse messaging platform requirement of our equally diverse audience demography. In the current dispensation, we have reinvigorated our website.
“We have equally deployed an artificial intelligence persona, which we call CLHEEAN, on our website. This CLEAN has its own meaning. The “C” stands for crime, the “L” stands for lawlessness and the “H” stands for health. The first “E” is on education and the other “E” is on environment. The “A” is on abuses of all forms and the “N” is on nationalism.
“These are the things that we see that are bedeviling the society. We find out that we have so much negativities or anomalies or maladies, as the case may be. This is the acronym formed by our DG, because he is a man of communication too”.
The DG disclosed that in the next couple of weeks, the agency will be physically engaging the public in the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and the 774 local government areas, stating, “This boots are on the grand approach in various communities, aimed at enabling members of the public to speak their minds to the government, ask questions, get answers on programs and policies of the government that they require further clarity on”.
He disclosed that in the third quarter sensitization exercise, the agency shall be engaging the public to further understand the following policies of government”, NELFUND, social safety net expansion, Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund, National Youth Investment Fund, NYIF, and the Industrial Training Fund, ITF”.
“It is our intention that in all the states, we will be carrying out the security awareness campaign, we will reach no less than 3 million Nigerians per state through media engagement, markets and motor parks, rallies, town hall meetings, advocacy visits to traditional and religious leaders, road shows and community engagements”.
In her speech, the South East Zonal Director of NOA, Mrs. Regina Irohasaid “this is something that we should put our hands together to tackle, while the leader of Progressive Abia Youths, Daberechi Kingsley Ekejiuba called for youths to be actively carried along during the sensitization.
In his appreciation speech, the state chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Comrade ChidiAsonye assured that the journalist in Abia will report appropriately and will partner NOA in the scheme.
Credit: punchng.com
