Patriotism Requires Motivation, Not Enforcement – Says NOA Boss
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The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has emphasised that true patriotism is an emotional issue that necessitates motivation to inspire citizens to take responsible action.
Mallam Issa-Onilu said this in Abuja during a Town Hall Meeting with the media, which focused on promoting and educating the public about the National Values Charter. The charter aims to strike a balance between the government’s promises and citizens’ responsibilities in nation-building.
According to the DG, “the citizens must be motivated by the reciprocal obligation of the leaders to be patriotic.” Onilu who recounted the failed efforts of past leaders at value orientation said that two critical components were missing.
”Firstly, the focus was one directional. National patriotism campaigns focused mainly on the citizens. Nigeria had campaigns such as “Andrew, Don’t Check Out” in the mid-80s, “Nigeria: Good People, Good Nation “, and Change Begins with Me” in the last two decades.”
”All these campaigns failed to include a corresponding commitment from the leadership ….the National Value Charter has cured this defect, which was missing in the past.”
Speaking further, he said “secondly, past efforts have stopped at formulating values. Policies are needed to institutionalise the values as part of our national identity. But it goes beyond that.”
By PRNigeria
