By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The National Orientation Agency, NOA, has moved to bridge the gap in citizens engagement and value orientation to satisfy the growing population, particularly the Nigerian youths.
The Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the Flag- Off of a 3—Day Extended Management Retreat Programme organized by the Agency for State Directors, Deputy Directors and other stakeholders from across the country.
He said that the Retreat was needed to strategize and enhance the capabilities and shared vision of the staff to deliver on the mandate of communicating government policies, programmes and projects that shape the quest for a common national identity and value orientation for citizens.
Issa- Onilu said that in the past ten months NOA has had cause to revamp its structure and platforms to meet the new trend and to bridge the gap of communication with the growing population of the youths.
“This was a crucial step in revitalizing our personnel and tools, which had been adversely affected by years of government neglect.”
NOA is undergoing a significant restructuring and demonstrating its adaptability to the changing population landscape, he explained.
The NOA boss stated that in the past three decades, the Nigerian demographics have shifted dramatically, with youths 45 years and below constituting 93% of the country’s population.
He said, “this profound shift has not gone unnoticed by NOA, and we are actively adjusting our strategies to effectively engage this new majority.
Not only are the youths in the dominant majority now, but they are also controlling the new media.”
Issa- Onilu , however, recalled that before now, the mode of communication was linear in nature, thereby posing a challenge for the agency.
He noted that the new channels of engagement and networking like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and other communication vehicles did not exist.
“Considering the new realities, NOA has been proactive in the last ten months, embarking on massive retooling and building on the foundation the past Director generals laid.”
“ We understand the need for modern platforms that can assist us in interacting with Nigerians.”
Agreeing with the times, the agency has launched the NOA mobile app, Mobiliser, which has many crucial features for engaging with Nigerians, particularly the Nigerian youths.
“The Mobiliser app, available for download on both the Play Store and Apple Store, has also strengthened our ability to deliver on our mandate to generate citizens’ feedback for the government.”
“The new NOA television and radio studios are also ready. The studios will enhance our capacity to produce news, features, analysis, and sectoral programmes on government policies.”
” The Explainer newsletter is another engagement platform that NOA has implemented in the past four months, Issa-Onilu disclosed.
