It was an old-aged maxim to assert that Nigeria, the most populous black African nation in the world, has commanded the best policy-makers in the continent, but ran short in the implementation processes of such policy frame-work. Even its foreign administrators, the British, saw the potency in Nigerians prior to the independence of the country on October 1, 1960.
Viable policies that came through such policy-frame-works included MAMSER, shortening of mass mobilization for social justice, self-reliance and economic recovery, the dawns of the River Basin Development Authorities that gulped huge sum of money, and the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, eclipsed by the poor policy implementations in the country. Others, that would place Nigeria at par with other nations but suffered the same fate were the Ethical and the Green Revolution programmes and the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC.
The realization of these projects were hinged on the abundant natural endowments, existing in each state of the federation upon whose holistic exploitations, have remained a mirage and in-glorious to the nation and its teeming citizenry.
MAMSER and NDE that came into being, among others, in 1986, were robust and impacted well on the citizens during their initial stages. The latter was prolific on the skills acquisition training scheme for the teeming Nigerian youths which curtailed unemployment cases nationwide. Its training fuse, has like others, been disconnected and melted away by the vogue of policy summersaults in the administrative governance of this country.
Professor Jerry Gana had deployed his intellectual might and spread MAMSER to the door-steps of every household, public and private sectors within few months of its creation. The talent-magnet had galvanized his personnel, NGOs, media and sensitized Nigerians on the concepts, visions and the missionary derive of the agency. It was recognized and accepted at every occasion and all levels of governance across the nation. The consciences of the populace, working and non-working classes were re-directed toward building an egalitarian society committed to expose their national values, cultures into the far civilized world and laid a foundation road for the future generations to tread on.
MAMSER was replaced by the National Orientation Agency, NOA, and merged with the public enlightenment and the orientation units of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in 1993. Its establishment Decree 100, was also changed to an ‘Act’ cap 64, by the National Assembly in tandem with the laws of the federation as amended. By this Act, the nation’s chief mobilization umpire had acquired enough teeth to uphold its constitutional mandates unminding of whose ox is gored.
As days, months and years went by, Nigerians became dissolutioned and deeply appalled by the in-actions of the agency, over certain societal vices that gripped the entire nation. Criminal cases have risen to supersonic levels as mere thievery metamorphosed to money laundering, banditry and rape incidences sailed among the communities known to be at peace and live as their brother-keepers at all times in history. Such unwholesome situations counted on the nation’s poor work-ethics and intolerance that crept into the psyche of the entire citizens. So perturbing was the on-going bloodletting that took permanent features in the Northeastern and Northwestern states for close to one decade time frame. The more the citizens looked, the less they sourly saw any positive steps that would finally ended the scourges. In the midst of these criminal bouts, came the cybercrime-cases that involved Nigerian youths here at home and at the international fronts.
As inclined to the Nigerian society, the agency ought to be seen working to stem these scourges, given the strength of its indigenous personnel deployed to work in the creeks and hinterland of the nation. Nigeria, expected the citizenry and NOA in particular, to be a provider of undercover services to the concerned authority on certain, if not all events, involving all caliber of Nigerians, regardless of his or her class or social status. Its personnel have the liberty to mix and socialize with all types of people at the seats of power. The growth and what all nations needed to prosper, rested on the shoulders of its stakeholders, whilst Nigeria can’t be an exception.
As an off-shoot of the War Against Indiscipline, WAI, the NOA must restart its past political education and social justice, environmental sanitation and the queuing habits campaigns to recap her now enlarged functions nationwide. The hoisting of the national flag, designed by Mr. Michael Taiwo in 1959 by the public and private establishments in Nigeria, today, leaves much to be desired. NOA was expected to champion the development of all sectors of the economy much as its past showings in the socio-educational angles demanded.
There has already been the necessity for the agency to organized a by-monthly discourse and interfaced with Nigerians that cut across the academics, public and private leadership positions to gather data on the state of Nigeria. The presence of such data would always place the agency on good working stead. Its hitherto lackadaisical dispositions on matters that threatened Nigerian unity and security has been of great concern to all and sundry citizens, that viewed the performances of the agency as pathetic.
Haliru Sarki Kende,
Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state
HALIRU SARKI KENDE
Public Affairs Analyst
Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State,
+2348067234599,
