The Voice of Nigeria (VON) says it is poised to collaborate with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to project positive stories from Nigeria and ensure the realisation of the objectives of Nigeria’s Value Charter.

VON director-general Jibrin Baba Ndace stated this when he visited NOA director-general Lanre Issa-Onilu in Abuja.

Mr Ndace said VON possessed quality human resources with the capacity to deliver on the organisation’s mandate.

“VON has been given the mandate to propagate news about Nigeria and that is what I have been doing since I assumed office. I am determined to tell the Nigerian story in a consistent manner. Nigeria is not the best country, yet it is not the worst country in the world.

“We will not celebrate negative news or fake news about Nigeria. One thing we have in common with NOA is that our focus is Nigeria. I learnt that a committee on value reorientation was constituted,” Mr Ndace explained. 

He added, “We are ready to collaborate with you. You have offices in the 774 local governments and we have what it takes to push any agenda.

“We broadcast in languages such as Hausa, Yoruba, Fulfulde, Igbo, Arabic, Swahili and French. We are planning to add other language from Indonesia and China.”

Mr Ndace further explained that no one could tell the Nigerian stories better than a Nigerian, adding that VON would always focus on the positive things coming out of Nigeria.

He stressed that this “is especially now that President Bola Tinubu is giving the youth across the country the opportunities to excel.”

Mr Ndace lauded the level of achievements attained in NOA by Issa-Onilu.

He added, “You have the capacity, and we have a minister of information and national orientation who knows the values of reorientation and a president who knows the value of reorientation and, thus, renamed the ministry. Sir, one of the challenges we are facing in this country is fake news about our country.

“As VON, we want to work with you to checkmate fake and negative news and misinformation about our country. I want us to work together to discard fake news in our media space.”

Mr Issa-Onilu described Ndace as a team player and super creative human with the capacity to take VON to the next level.

Mr Issa-Onilu said, “We also have a friend and superhuman as the minister of information and national orientation who sees himself as a team player, and we also have a president who is always a step ahead.

“Nothing destroys a home more than when people lose hope in that home, and that is why the Renewed Hope Agenda, as a mantra, is very important and will work for all.

“Nigeria is not at the stage of orientation, because orientation is a journey and you can’t define unless and until you have a destination. We are supposed to have a code that will guide us; that is why we have the Values Charter that will guide us to our uniqueness and values.”

He added, “There is the need to have a national culture that can link us or give us a national identity as Nigerians. NOA has offices in the 774 local governments.”

He explained that regardless of the widespread NOA across the country, the agency does not have a platform to pass on messages. The NOA boss stressed that Nigerians are smart people, adding that many are using their smartness for positive achievements. 

Mr Issa-Onilu added, “The Value Charter is a contract between us and the citizens. The minister of information and national orientation will take the lead when the committee will present its report on January 16.

“The president will then give us the date for the unveiling and then we will move to VON and other stakeholders for effective collaboration for realisation of the objectives of the charter.” 

(NAN)