The National Orientation Agency (NOA) Tuesday charged Nigerians to speak up against Gender Based Violence (GBV), saying ‘it is destroying homes and fabric of the society.”
The Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, stated this in his remarks at a stakeholders engagement on dangers of GBV in Abuja.
Represented by Director Legal Services of the agency, Barrister Williams Dogo, the DG said GBV affects all genders.
“Indeed the issue of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria has become a pervasive issue. It’s an hydra headed monster that is destroying homes and even the fabric of the society and indeed calls for urgent action.
“Growing up, the attention has always been on women and the girl child. But Gender Based Violence is an issue that concerns all genders,” he said.
He said to tackle it from the roots, there must be attitudinal change and development of the human resources.
According to him,”In the National Orientation Agency, we are very much concerned about the attitude, behaviour and conduct of the citizens.
“We all agree that our human resources is a blessing to us and we need to develop it. But then let us not loose sense of the fact that it is the quality of the human resources that determines the pace, quality and ultimate realization of development.
“We have not been able to get it right because our emphasis has not been on human resources. So the National Orientation Agency is very concerned about this.”
He disclosed that following the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for national reorientation and value rebirth , the agency painstakingly developed the National Value Chatter which has been approved by the Federal Executive Council.
He noted that the National Value Charter has two components; the Nigerian promise and Citizens codes.
“Under the citizens codes, their is a commitment required from Nigerians as citizens, that is the duty of care.
“If the duty of care is imbibed by all citizens, you won’t be talking about Gender Based Violence,” he said.
In her remarks,Director Public Enlightenment and Mass Mobilisation NOA, Mrs. Theresa Maduekwe, said GVB is a global phenomenon that happens to all race, religion and gender, calling for all to unite against the menace.
She also urged Nigerians to unite against the culture of silence and fear of being stigmatized for speaking out.
“All violence brings mental health challenge to the victims and could eventually lead to death,” he said.
