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In a bid to strengthen national unity, the National Orientation Agency called on Nigerians to not only love but also actively promote the various values and cultures that make the country unique. The agency highlighted the role of these cultural elements in building a more harmonious and united nation.
The Federal Government’s agency further warned against the dangers of speaking negatively about the country, asserting that everyone must play a part in driving the nation’s progress. It highlighted the necessity of setting aside political agendas to foster a spirit of cooperation and collective advancement.
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, made this statement during a stakeholders/town hall meeting dedicated to the National Anthem and National Values Charter in Akure, the state capital, on Thursday. He stressed the significance of collective effort and shared values in moving the nation forward.
In her address, Mrs. Olorunfemi Olubukola, who represented the Director-General as the Director of Reforms Coordination and Service Improvement at the NOA headquarters in Abuja, underscored the importance of unconditional love for one’s country. She emphasized that such affection should not be linked to the performance of any government currently in office.
He remarked that the lyrics of the new national anthem encapsulate the spirit of patriotism, which he believes should be wholeheartedly embraced by all Nigerians. This alignment with the anthem is crucial for nurturing a shared sense of identity and belonging among the populace.
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He said, “We must begin to emphasise the sense of patriotism. The words/lyrics of the National Anthem work up empathy and patriotism for the country. It is speaking to the individual. The love of a country must not depend on the performance of a government at times.
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“You must love your country in and out of season at all times. You must endure; we have no other country and the country is richly endowed with both human and material resources. We must never condemn, curse, or speak evil against our country. Words have power.
“These factors are being put together to return to our roots; it is our land of birth, our own; we are looking for a way to cohere, the easiest way to exist together with a call to duty. Let us downplay politics. ”
The DG, who explained that the new national anthem had brought back the nostalgic feeling of how the nation was at independence, described it as a patriotic musical composition symbolising and evoking eulogies of the history and tradition of a country.
“We had leaders then, the narrative that was uppermost at the time was that we have different cultures but we are brothers; we are Nigerians—no matter the differences we have, we are brothers. It emphasises what many have advocated for: that it be brought back because it addresses our contemporary issues
“The President is concerned with the issues of national cohesion, building a sense of national unity for national development and projecting Nigeria into the country in which it ought to be within the comity of nations and the African Continent,” he added.
