The federal government has been tasked by the House of Representatives to increase the budgetary allocation of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to enhance the value reorientation of citizens
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government (FG) to review budgetary allocation to the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in line with current realities and to enable successful reorientation of citizens.
The House mandated NOA to increase visibility across all media platforms and put out more engaging content that will project government policies to the people and also expose the citizens to government initiatives that can be beneficial to them.
These resolutions followed a motion moved by Rep. Adewale Hammed (APC Lagos) on the “Need to Review the Budgetary Allocation of the National Orientation Agency of Nigeria for Improved Citizens Orientation”.
Hammed, in his presentation, stressed the importance of a comprehensive re-orientation of Nigerians, particularly in light of rising youth restiveness and social vices plaguing the country. He noted that the NOA, established in 1993, plays a crucial role in instilling civic responsibility and promoting national values such as dignity of labour, consumption of local products, and national integration.
“The agency is empowered to, among other things, propagate the need to eschew all vices in public life, promote dignity of labour and consumption of local products and establish social institutions for fostering national integration,” he said.
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Hammed highlighted the NOA’s extensive grassroots structure, which spans the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the 774 local government areas of the country. Despite this broad reach, he expressed concern that the agency’s budgetary allocation of N8.8 billion in the 2024 Appropriation Act is grossly insufficient to meet its vast responsibilities.
“The existing funding provided for the agency is grossly inadequate to meet the extensive responsibilities of the agency and its offices across the nation,” Hammed said, adding that the prevailing trend of youth restiveness and social vices in the nation calls for an urgent need to implement measures for effective reorientation of citizens to curb vices, re-orient the people and encourage growth within the society.
Hammed also called for increased collaboration between the NOA and key stakeholders, including ministries, departments, agencies, traditional institutions, religious bodies, community leaders, civil society organizations, and the media. He suggested that such partnerships would amplify the agency’s outreach and improve the effectiveness of its campaigns.
The Speaker of the House Rep. Tajudeen Abbas (APC Kaduna), who presided over the sitting referred the motion to the committees on information, national orientation, ethics and values to conduct a thorough oversight and report back to the House for further legislative action.
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Agege federal constituency, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Rep. Hammed throughout the 10th House here
