The Federal Government has called on Nigerians to refrain from making negative comments against the country.

Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, made the call during a stakeholders’ engagement on National Anthem, Identity Project, Values Charter and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday in Osogbo, Osun State.

Mr Issa-Onilu said that Nigerians should embrace a sense of patriotism and they must love the country at all times.

“You must endure; we have no other country, and Nigeria is richly endowed with both human and material resources. We must never condemn, curse or speak evil about our country. Words have powers,” he said.

The director-general was represented by the agency’s Director of Report Coordination and Improvement, Olubukola Olorunfemi.

Mr Issa-Onilu said that the agency was embarking on a nationwide sensitisation to propagate and mobilise citizens to the need for positive attitude and behaviour that would promote oneness in the country.

He said that 1,000 brigade members would be recruited from primary and secondary schools in each state to promote oneness and unity among Nigerians.

At independence in 1960, we had all the attributes that could make us stronger in our journey to nationhood,” he noted.

The NOA boss, however, said that over the years, the qualities and standards began to collapse until the culture, value, norms and what brought Nigerians together gave way, with no sense of nationhood being promoted again.

He said that upon realising this, the President, on May 29, reinstated the old National Anthem – “Nigeria We Hail Thee.”

Mr Issa-Onilu said that the old anthem was reintroduced to bring Nigerians back to the nostalgic feeling of how the nation was at independence.

“The national anthem reflects the aspirations and value of the founding fathers when you read it word by word, salutation to us, internalise it to our fatherland. No matter how bad the situation may be, Nigeria houses all of us, though tribes and tongues may differ. We don’t have to deny or pretend about this, that our tongue, tribes, religion, culture, tradition differ but in the midst of all these, it reminds us that in brotherhood we stand,” he said.

The director-general also said that the National Identity Project embarked upon by the agency was to redirect Nigerians, irrespective of class, ethnicity and religion, to the ideals and values for which they were traditionally known.

On the National Values Charter, he said it captured the social bond guiding the relationships that existed between the Nigerian people and the state, as represented by all its agents and organs.

Mr Issa-Onilu further stated that the renewed hope agenda of the president was to take Nigeria to greater heights.

Earlier in her remarks, the NOA state Director, Bola Morgan, said that the event was organised to sensitise Nigerians to the need for a positive attitude toward the country.

Representatives of market leaders, Christian Association of Nigeria, Muslim Association, students and youth leaders, among others, were present at the occasion. 

(NAN)