The duo of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are strategising to strengthen institutional collaboration and foster synergy in national reorientation and voter education.
This was sequel to a meeting between the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
According to information made available by NOA on its social media page on Thursday, the meeting emphasised the urgent need for coordinated efforts in civic engagement, value reorientation, and voter education, especially as Nigeria prepares for the upcoming electoral cycle.
Issa-Onilu, reflecting on his early days in office, noted that his initial focus was to restore morale and institutional relevance within the NOA, an agency that had endured years of neglect. He expressed admiration for the agency’s dedicated and patriotic workforce, recognising their untapped potential.
He emphasised that nation building must go beyond physical infrastructure, stating that, “without emotional and psychological connection to the country, development efforts remain hollow.”
Issa-Onilu outlined NOA’s twin mandate as: communicating government policies, and fostering value reorientation and national identity.
With a robust presence across 774 local government areas, 36 states, and the FCT, according to him, NOA serves as a critical link to Nigeria’s grassroots, collecting and relaying citizen feedback to policymakers and federal institutions.
He also highlighted the establishment of a new civic, value, and democracy education department, designed to close civic knowledge gaps, particularly among young Nigerians.
Addressing the challenges faced during the last election, the NOA DG decried the proliferation of fake news, especially on social media platforms. He called for more inclusive and innovative voter education, spotlighting NOA’s initiatives such as: CLHEEAN – focused on civic learning and healthy engagement, and NOA Halkathon – an entertainment driven voter awareness campaign.
He expressed concern over the absence of a dedicated democracy education budget for NOA, while arguing for greater NOA involvement in public sensitisation, allowing INEC to concentrate on election logistics.
In his response, Yakubu commended the revitalisation of NOA under Issa-Onilu’s leadership. He lauded the agency’s creative use of NOA TV, radio, and AI-powered communication platforms to reach the public.
Yakubu, who endorsed deeper collaboration, particularly in engaging youth, women, and persons with disabilities, reaffirmed NOA’s key roles in major electoral committees.
They include: the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), and the soon-to-be-restructured National Committee on Voter Education and Publicity (NICVEP).
Yakubu also underscored the importance of the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise set to begin in August, calling on NOA to support broad mobilisation efforts.