Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday 16th March 2021 adopted a motion moved by Hon. Shina Peller, a member representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, Oyo State, on the need to reinvigorate the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for impactful discharge of its mandate.
In the motion, Hon. Peller noted that National Orientation Agency, which was established in 1993, is by virtue of its enabling Act required to re-orientate Nigerians on their general attitude and encourage them to take part actively and freely in discussions and decisions affecting their collective welfare.
However, Hon. Peller argued that that the NOA was incapacitated in discharging its constitutional responsibility of disseminating information and re-orientating Nigerians particularly during critical period like this when COVID-19 had left many lifeless and caused many households griefs.
Furthermore, he observed that the strategic plan for the National Orientation Agency (2017-2021) reveals that the Statutory Allocations to the Agency in the past years were inadequate for optimal performance of the Agency’s mandate as it is presently bedeviled with poor statutory allocation, poorly motivated staff, inadequate vehicles and other public enlightenment equipment.
Similarly, he also expressed concerns that NOA’s incapacitation had continuously prevented her from living up to its responsibility as a social re-engineering organization as stipulated in Section 4 of the Enabling Act which empowers her to function as an instrument for attitudinal transformation, public enlightenment, mass mobilization and national integration.
In addressing the afore mentioned problems, the House adopted Hon. Peller’s prayers and urged the National Orientation Agency to wake up to its legal responsibilities and be more efficient in Value reorientation and public education of Nigerians and further synergize with the Federal Government on combating social vices such as Terrorism, Xenophobic Attacks and Anti-Corruption War.
The House also asked the Director- General of the National Orientation Agency to appear before the House Committee on Information and National Orientation, Ethics and value and table the activities, strengths and weaknesses within the next two weeks.
The lawmakers mandated the Committee on Information and National Orientation, Ethics and values to ensure the increase in the budgetary allocation of the National Orientation Agency in the 2022 Appropriation Budget Estimates for optimal performance.
Responding to questions from journalists after the plenary, Hon. Peller explained that regular reorientation of Nigerians would serve as a preventive measure against imminent dangers, crises or chaos as the case may be, and added that the NOA has a constitutional obligation to ensure this.
It would be recalled that Hon. Peller’s bill for an act to amend the National Orientation Agency Act had last year passed through first reading at the floor of the House.
Oluwakayode Banjo
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