NOA, INEC forge strategic alliance to boost voter education
National Orientation Agency NOA
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, recently paid a strategic visit to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Proffessor Mahmood Yakubu, to enhance collaboration on national reorientation and voter education as Nigeria gears up for the upcoming electoral cycle.
During their meeting, both leaders underscored the “urgent need for coordinated efforts in civic engagement, value reorientation, and voter education,” highlighting these as critical pillars for strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
Reflecting on his tenure, Issa-Onilu revealed that his initial focus was to “restore morale and institutional relevance within the NOA,” an agency he described as having “endured years of neglect.”
Praising the agency’s workforce, he acknowledged their “untapped potential” and stressed that “nation building must go beyond physical infrastructure.
Without emotional and psychological connection to the country, development efforts remain hollow.”
Issa-Onilu elaborated on NOA’s twin mandate—communicating government policies and fostering value reorientation and national identity.
With a presence across all 774 Local Government Areas, 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory, NOA acts as a vital grassroots link, “collecting and relaying citizen feedback to policymakers,” according to the DG.
He also announced the creation of a new Civic, Value, and Democracy Education Department aimed at closing civic knowledge gaps—particularly among young Nigerians.
Addressing challenges from the previous elections, Issa-Onilu lamented the “proliferation of fake news, especially on social media,” calling for “more inclusive and innovative voter education.”
Expressing concern over the absence of a dedicated democracy education budget, he advocated for “greater NOA involvement in public sensitization, allowing INEC to concentrate on election logistics.”
In response, Yakubu praised the revitalisation of NOA under Issa-Onilu’s leadership and commended the agency’s “creative use of NOA TV, radio, and AI-powered communication platforms.”
He welcomed enhanced cooperation, especially in engaging youth, women, and persons with disabilities. Yakubu reaffirmed NOA’s key roles in critical electoral committees including the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and the soon-to-be-restructured National Committee on Voter Education and Publicity (NICVEP).
Highlighting the upcoming continuous voter registration exercise starting in August, Prof. Yakubu urged NOA’s support for widespread mobilisation efforts.
