Kenechukwu Ofomah
Awka
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Nigeria Police Force have renewed their commitment to strengthening collaboration on national values, responsible citizenship and efforts to rebuild public confidence in policing.
The renewed partnership emerged during a meeting between the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
During the meeting, the two institutions agreed to deepen their collaboration in the areas of civic responsibility, national values, community engagement and public enlightenment.
They expressed confidence that sustained cooperation would help promote more professional policing while contributing to a more peaceful, disciplined and patriotic Nigeria.
In his speech, Issa-Onilu described the National Values Charter (NVC) as a social contract that defines the responsibilities of government to citizens and the obligations of citizens to the nation.
He said the Charter was aimed at restoring integrity, discipline, patriotism, justice, accountability and responsibility as core values necessary for Nigeria’s development.
According to him, the Federal Executive Council has approved measures to institutionalise the Charter through citizenship education in schools, value-based orientation programmes and its integration into the training curricula of government institutions.
He called for the inclusion of the National Values Charter in the training programmes of the Nigeria Police Academy, police colleges and other police training institutions.
Issa-Onilu said such integration would help strengthen professionalism and ethical conduct within the Force while improving public confidence in the police.
He also stressed the importance of NOA’s grassroots presence across the country, saying its structures in the 774 local government areas could complement police efforts through community engagement, public sensitisation, conflict prevention, early warning mechanisms and strategic communication.
The NOA Director-General further proposed the establishment of a Joint NOA–Police Technical Working Group to coordinate areas of collaboration between the two institutions.
Responding, IGP Disu welcomed the proposals and expressed the Police Force’s readiness to deepen its partnership with NOA.
He said the Force was undergoing reforms designed to make policing more professional, accountable and people-centred, noting that civic orientation was essential to achieving sustainable police reform.
Disu assured NOA that the National Values Charter would be considered for inclusion in police training programmes.
He also called for greater public education on the duties and sacrifices of police personnel, urging NOA to help counter misinformation capable of eroding public confidence in the Force and undermining national security.
The IGP further supported NOA’s advocacy for the production of locally relevant educational content, particularly for children.
He urged parents to pay closer attention to the values children are exposed to through cartoons and other forms of media, stressing the importance of shaping responsible citizens from an early age.
