NOA kickstarts 3-month sensitization campaign for reintroduced national anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Tuesday in Enugu State, launched its sensitization and public enlightenmemt campaign on the reintroduced first republic national anthem ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee” and national values charter.
The sensitization campaign for the new national anthem will be for three months
Recall that in May, President Bola Tinubu gave his assent to the National Anthem Bill 2024, reverting the country to the old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.
Addressing journalists on the need for the nationwide sensitization campaign at Federal Secretariat, NOA Director in Enugu State, Mrs. Clara Nwachukwu, explained that since independence, Nigeria as a nation has be struggling with the issue of national identity because of its multilingual, multiethnic and multi-religious character.
Mrs Nwachukwu said President Bola Tinubu’s administration has emphatically said that “we must build Nigerians to build Nigeria,” through sensitization and reorientation campaigns.
She said, “Therefore, in compliance with the directives from the National Headquarters, Abuja, the National Orientation Agency, Enugu State is kick-starting a three- month state-wide sensitization and public enlightenment campaign on Nigeria’s National Anthem and National Value Charter today being Tuesday, the 8th day of October 2024.
“The aim of the programme is to re-orientate and redirect Nigerians, regardless of class, ethnicity, or religion toward the values and principles that have long been associated with our culture and have been the foundation of our institutions and society.
“The introduction of the New National Anthem and the National Values Charter ushers in an important milestone for national pride and identity. This action reflects the changing ideals and aspirations of the nation.
“Values may be defined as accepted principles or standard of behaviour that are used to characterise individuals and societies.
“The National Values Charter is categorized into two: the Nigerian Promise (the promises made by the Nigerian State through its elected representatives) and the Citizens Code (the obligations of the citizenry to nation-building). This social contract between the Nigerian State and its people is the pivot upon which countries are built and sustained.”
According to Nwachukwu , the nationwide sensitization is more than just a campaign.
“It is a movement. It is a movement that calls upon each of us as Nigerians to imbibe the shared values and spirit reflecting in both our National Anthem and National Values Charter,” she said.
“As we move forward, let us remember that it is only through unity, respect and commitment to these values that we can achieve the Nigeria of our dreams.”
Nwachukwu noted that though Nigeria was birthed in 1914 historically by the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates, the search for an identity has been a problematic one “due to the ever-increasing level of ethnic consciousness among Nigerians”.
