By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has flagged off a nationwide sensitisation campaign across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to deepen public understanding of key government policies, national security awareness, disaster preparedness, and value reorientation.
Director-General of the Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this on Monday at a press conference in Makurdi, stressing that the campaign will cover the 774 local government areas of the country.
He said the campaign is designed to engage Nigerians directly through town hall meetings, school visits, advocacy to traditional rulers, community outreaches, motor park rallies, and extensive media engagements.
Issa-Onilu who was represented by his Director of Finance and Accounts, Haruna Suleiman, outlined the thematic focus areas as government programmes and social intervention initiatives, flood mitigation, national security awareness, values reorientation among students and youths, and sensitisation on Nigerian identity and national symbols.
On government programmes, he highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has already disbursed over N59 billion to more than 600,000 students, as well as conditional cash transfers to over two million households.
He added that interest-free loans under TraderMoni and FarmerMoni, youth empowerment funds, and school renovation projects are ongoing nationwide.
The NOA boss also drew attention to renewed efforts on flood disaster preparedness, noting that President Bola Tinubu approved the release of N3 billion per state for drainage clearance and relocation measures.
On national security, Issa-Onilu said the armed forces are deploying drones, armoured vehicles, and surveillance technologies, with over 15,000 new security personnel engaged under the Renewed Hope security architecture.
He added that the campaign would also focus on discouraging extreme graduation practices among students while promoting patriotism and respect for national symbols such as the flag, the Naira, and the national anthem.
