FG Announces Plans to Introduce Citizenship Study as a Basic Education Core Subject

The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mal. Lanre Issa-Onilu recently announced that the Federal Government plans to introduce Citizenship studies as core subjects at all levels of education in Nigeria.

The Director General stated this at a Town Hall Meeting with Stakeholders on Saturday in Lokoja, as part of a 2-day working visit to Kogi.

Issa-Onilu said it was imperative to interact with stakeholders on Government Policies, Programmes and Activities”, as part of the mandate given to NOA by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

He said the introduction of citizenship study into the country’s school education system was necessary to help inculcate the right values and characters into every Nigeria’s child.

“The federal government will soon introduce Citizenship studies in all levels of education in Nigeria: primary, secondary, and tertiary education where our children will undertake them as compulsory subjects and courses.

“This will enable them to learn the right values and characters and how to be a good Nigerian and make the country proud anywhere they go.

“The objective is to inculcate the right values in children so that when they grow up and get into society, they will live their lives in a way that both the parents, the society, and the country will be proud of them.

The DG disclosed plans to launch this year with 37,000 Citizenship Brigades, 1,000 per state in primary school and secondary schools”, he said.

Issa-Onilu further said that the country would be codifying its values through the National Values Charter being managed by the Agency.

He said that the Values Charter was not anything new as all communities and ethnic nationalities hold strongly to their values but regretted that Nigeria did not put any value system in place.

The NOA DG emphasised that values would only be appreciated when they were kept and made sacrosanct, promoted, and nurtured by the people.

The NOA DG regretted that as of today, no one could give a definite answer about who is a Nigerian in terms of values and character.

“A proper Nigerian cannot be a kidnapper, bandit, get to government and become a thief, stealing government resources, promoting corruption, and bringing hardship to the people."

“A proper Nigerian is the one that becomes a governor and does the right things; provides infrastructures, creates employment, promotes peace and stability in the state."

“That’s who a good Nigerian is. A good Nigerian is the President who will come and promote prosperity, ensure unity and there is no nepotism."

“So, we need to work and collaborate as stakeholders’ to ensure that we improve our values as a country,” he said.

The director general commended the stakeholders for always being ever supportive and dependable in working with NOA to move Nigeria forward.

The stakeholders in their various comments, urged NOA to impress on the Federal Government to urgently reduce Petroleum pump prices, reintroduce religious studies, and make it compulsory at all levels of education, amongst others.