Federal Gov’t Mulls Stiffer Penalties For Abuse Of National Flag, Symbols

The federal government has said that it was putting mechanisms in place to penalise any individual or corporate organisation found abusing or misusing the Nigerian flag and other symbols.

Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this during a press conference to kick-start the sensitisation on National Anthem and National Values Charter in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, on Thursday.

Represented by the director of finance of the agency, Malam Haruna Sule, the NOA boss said the Bill to the effect was already before the National Assembly for consideration.

He said the Bill seeks amendment to the Flag and Coat of Arms Act, 2004, to provide for stiffer penalties for abusing or misusing the national symbols, including defacing them.

According to him, with the approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), proposals seeking to entrench the country’s value orientation processes, many of which deal with young age indoctrination, providing temple for evaluation of real Nigerian character, the agency was well positioned to carry out its mandate.

He said the agency will vigorously promote and protect the national symbols to ensure that they are accorded respect, properly displayed and handled, including hoisting of national flag in public buildings, in order to build up love for the country, strong national identity, unity and pride.

The director-general said the national value charter will form part of the curricular at both basic and post-basic schools even as teaching of the values will be mandatory component of pre-resumption retreat for all elected representatives at the National Assembly, judiciary, executive and other government appointees.

He contended that NOA has adopted new strategies of selling government policies to Nigerians and pushing for national rebirth ideologies among the citizens.

Part of the innovation, he explained, is the development of various communication modules targeting the youths and adults such as NOA’s AI Voice Assistant, CLHEEAN, the Mobliser App, and the Explainer newsletter, among others.

Also speaking, the Nasarawa State’s head of the agency, Dr. Priscilla Gondoalour, explained that the value-reorientaion campaign being embarked upon by the agency was aimed at changing the current low-level patriotism and citizens’ loyalty to the country and government.

She said governance is a two-way activity with two broad categories of players, the government and the governed.