The Federal Government has besieged Nigerians to seek permission before using the national anthem.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, stated that obtaining permission was imperative to prevent misunderstandings.
He said that news conferences will be conducted in every state to start raising awareness of the agency’s new policy.
“As custodians of Nigeria’s national symbols, the NOA is tasked with preventing all forms of misuse. The DG emphasised that permission must be sought from the Agency before using the National Anthem to avoid misrepresentation,” the statement partly read.
Additionally, he explained that the Nigerian flag is only green, white, and green, with Emerald 2.0 being the proper shade of green.
He pointed out the agency’s progress from the neglected state he first encountered, highlighting notable accomplishments like the creation of audio-visual studios, the debut of an optimised NOA website with the CLHEEAN-NOA Artificial Intelligence voice and chat assistant, and the recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of institutionalisation policies, all of which had President Bola Tinubu’s full support.
The DG elucidated that prior administrations prioritised infrastructure development over value orientation, resulting in the collapse of social intervention organisations such as the National Orientation Agency, Girls’ Brigade, Boys’ Scouts, and WAI Brigade.
He said, though, that President Tinubu has extended his support for the agency and that the present administration was aware of this mistake.
The support, he claimed, is evident in the most recent permissions granted by the Federal Executive Council, which centre on the National Identity Project and value orientation.
Speaking on the recently established Citizen Value Brigade (CVB), Mallam Issa-Onilu counselled Nigerians to prevent their kids from looking for heroes elsewhere, particularly when they are still developing.
He said the NOA has got authority to construct this social institution, which will implant Nigerian values in youngsters, commencing with 1,000 children per state and the FCT.
He said the program strives to develop homegrown heroes that the next generation may aspire to be like.
To combat the infiltration of foreign ideals being instilled in Nigerian youth, he also emphasised the significance of producing native comic material.
The Director General reaffirmed that citizens and leaders had equal responsibility for the advancement of the country.
He clarified that the nation promises the values of equality and meritocracy to all of its citizens, regardless of their status as leaders or members of the general public, as enshrined in the Nigerian Promise, a major component of the National Values Charter.
He emphasised that Nigeria could not progress without active engagement and devotion to these ideals.
On his first anniversary in office, President Tinubu signed legislation to reinstate Nigeria’s ancient national anthem, which was abolished by a military administration in 1978.
Lillian Jean Williams wrote the re-adopted song, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” in 1959, and Frances Berda composed it.