NOA DG: National Value Charter, Cornerstone for United Nigeria

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), MallamLanreIssa-Onilu, has stated that the National Value Charter, a major initiative of the agency, will address concerns about national cohesion and identity.

Issa-Onilu, in an exclusive interview, said the initiative that will rolled out after its launch by President Bola Tinubu, is a transformative policy designed to give Nigerians a shared sense of self, purpose, and civic responsibility.

He described it as one that will be a foundational legacy of the Tinubu administration, as the Charter addresses a critical gap in the country’s national development: the absence of a clearly defined Nigerian identity.

“You cannot have a society where you cannot define the shared identity of its people,” Issa-Onilu said. “We all identify as Nigerians, but beyond the name, what does it truly mean? What values, behaviours, and responsibilities come with that identity?”

He argued that unlike ethnic groups such as the Igbo, Yoruba, or even subsets like the Ijebu or Ekiti, whose values and characteristics can be clearly articulated, Nigeria as a whole, lacks a unifying identity that binds its people.

The Charter, he explained, distills the country’s most positive characteristics into a structured national identity. It is intended to serve as a moral and civic guide for citizens in the way it offers direction and clarity.

“The same way religious texts shape the values of believers, this Charter will define what it means to be Nigerian; what we stand for, what is expected of us, and what we owe one another and the nation,” he noted. “It is our own national holy book.”

To ensure widespread adoption, the Charter will be implemented through seven institutions of nurturing, which were approved by the Federal Executive Council in October 2024. These institutions will embed national values at every stage of life, from childhood to adulthood, across schools, religious spaces, families, the media, and civic structures.

“No matter your background or where you grow up, one of these institutions will reach you and help nurture you into the kind of Nigerian we all aspire to be,” Issa-Onilu explained.

The NOA DG emphasized their strategic role in socializing future generations around a shared identity, instilling values such as integrity, discipline, empathy, patriotism, and respect for others.

He further described the Charter as a social contract between citizens and their country.

“It’s an agreement that defines your role in the nation and what the nation owes you in return. Without this kind of moral compass, national unity will always be elusive.”

Issa-Onilu stressed that this initiative goes far beyond bureaucracy.

“This is not just another government document. It is a foundational framework for building a united, value-driven Nigeria. Without a shared identity, we can’t build the nation we dream of,” he said.