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Tag: Garba Abari

  • Borno to convert Boko Haram leader’s house to museum

    Borno to convert Boko Haram leader’s house to museum

    The Borno Government says it will convert the house of the former leader of Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Yusuf, to a museum.

    The state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Dr Mohammed Bulama, disclosed this at the sidelines of the 9th National Council for Culture, Tourism and National Orientation held in Dutse, Jigawa.

    The Council with the theme “Tourism and Culture as Panacea for Nigeria’s Economic Recovery’’ was organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

    Bulama said in an interview that the museum would help to archive all things related to Boko Haram insurgency to attract tourists and for the benefits of future generation.

    “We are going to convert the house of the leader of the Boko Haram sect Mohammed Yusuf where the insurgency all started from, to a museum.

    “The place is called Maarcas; we want to build a museum there where all the things that had happened relating to the insurgency will be archived.

    “We want to document and archive all that had happened so that our future generation will be able to have first hand information,” he said.

    Yusuf, sect leader and founder of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram was killed in 2009 and his group has continued to constitute serious security threat to Borno and other states in the North-east.

    The Commissioner said the State was also planning to turn the Sambisa forest, which used to be the insurgents’ haven, to a tourist centre by reviving the already existing games reserve in the forest.

    “Last year, Gov. Kashim Shettima made a pronouncement to the effect that every Dec. 22, will be declared a public holiday in Borno because that is the day the military declared that they had captured Ground Zero in Sambisa forest.

    “What we intend to do when stability is fully achieved is to convert the forest into a tourist attraction in order to show the world what has happened.

    “Before insurgency, we used to have a game reserve in the Sambisa forest, we are going to revive that,” he said.

    According to Bulama, Borno is very rich in culture and diversity; and the government would use the security situation in the State for tourism advantage.

    Bulama said that the meeting in Dutse witnessed very robust contributions in form of memorandum presentations and intervention by participants and other stakeholders in the culture and tourism sectors.

    Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director General of National Council for Arts and Culture, who also spoke at the event, said that “culture and tourism are intertwined and cannot be separated.”

    He explained that “culture is the brand that tourism sells” and it should be approached based on the strength and rich potential of each state or political zone.

    Runsewe said the meeting would enable stakeholders strategise on harnessing the potential in culture and tourism to become a new oil for the country.

    Speaking in the same vein, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari, said his Agency would use its various platforms to sensitise the people on the country’s diverse cultural heritage and tourism potential.

    He said the Agency would work with all States and stakeholders to boost local tourism for employment generation and other economic advantages.

    NAN

  • NOA, UNIABUJA to start certificate course

    NOA, UNIABUJA to start certificate course

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) have perfected plans to commence a certificate course in Moral Ethics and National Values to orientate Nigerian youth.

    Dr Garba Abari, the Director-General of NOA disclosed this when he paid a working visit to the University of Abuja on Thursday.

    He also reviewed the work of the joint committee of both organisations on arrangements for the take-off of the programme.

    Abari observed that most of Nigeria’s problems had to do with poor values and little understanding of the nation’s history and antecedents.

    He however expressed optimism that the certificate course being proposed would address the challenge of failing national values among the youth.

    Abari said that NOA would not only redeem its obligations in the partnership but would also work jointly with the university and other authorities to ensure a positive shift in values among the youth.

    Prof. Michael Adikwu, UNIABUJA Vice Chancellor said that Nigerian students must come to terms with present day national realities, adding that it differed from what obtained previously.

    He stressed the need to de-emphasise unrealistic expectations from government by the youths, adding that they must begin to look inward to harness their trainings and abilities for national development.

    Adikwu stressed the urgency of the Moral Ethics and National Values programme in the light of the need for prompt national rebirth.

    He said that the citadel of learning had a responsibility to contribute robustly toward positioning the youths for nation building.

  • NOA supports legislation for elderly in Nigeria

    NOA supports legislation for elderly in Nigeria

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has expressed support for the proposed bill seeking to outline privileges, support and opportunities for the elderly in the country.

    Dr Garba Abari, the Director-General, NOA disclosed this when he hosted members of Coalition of Societies for Rights of Older Persons (COSROPIN) on courtesy visit to the NOA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Abari said that the care for the elderly in the society should be a national concern,  adding that the coalition of different organisations would provide a stronger voice for the domestication of the bill.

    He said that the coalition would also facilitate advocacy and sensitisation to the grassroots.

    “I urge all stakeholders across private and public organisations to contribute their quota towards improving the lot of the elderly in our society.”

    The NOA boss pledged the commitment of the agency to the cause, saying it would deploy all the messaging platforms to promote the bill.

    Abari said that the NOA would work with the coalition on the laudable initiative in line with national service.

    Earlier, Sen. Eze Ajoku, the President, COSROPIN, said the coalition was formed to address issues affecting the aged, to protect their well-being, dignity and welfare, according to the Constitution.

    Ajoku said that sections to actualise these objectives were contained in the proposed bill.

    He said that the visit to NOA was to ask for partnership on the agency’s robust platform.

    “We want NOA to add a stronger voice to this course by taking the message to all nooks and crannies of the country,” Ajoku said.

  • NOA, NACA partner to stop spread of HIV, AIDS

    NOA, NACA partner to stop spread of HIV, AIDS

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it will partner with National Agency for Control of Aids (NACA) to strategise and stop the scourge of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) at the grassroots.

    Dr Garba Abari, the Director-General of NOA made this known when the Director-General of NACA, Dr Sani Aliyu paid him a courtesy call at NOA Headquarters on Thursday in Abuja.

    Abari said the time had come for the campaign against HIV and Aids to take root at the grassroots level where the scourge was prevalent.

    According to Abari, the high rate of spread of the disease has become worrisome despite effort of government and international community at curbing the spread in the last 10 years.

    “If information does not get to the lower community level of the society, we will continue to have this high incidence in our communities.”

    He said the NOA would transcend the traditional channels of medical advocacy through mass media to face to face interaction and other communication platforms which the agency usually deployed to achieve its communication tasks.

    He outlined the structure of the agency at the lower community levels that had helped in different collaborations with other agencies.

    “With the Community Orientation and Mobilization Officers at the grassroots level, the agency speaks different local languages across the breadth and width of country with credible and reliable source of information,” Abari said.

    Earlier, the D-G of NACA,  said that the essence of the visit was to seek ways of benefitting from NOA’s platforms for propagating government programmes and policies, especially to mobilise grassroots support for the campaign against HIV and AIDS.

    Aliyu said his priorities include increasing government funding for HIV and AIDS projects in view of the dwindling patronage from foreign donors.

    “The foreign donors had borne more than 80 per cent of huge cost of efforts to curb the scourge and to reduce mother-to-child transmission rate to the minimum.

    He said that only 10 out of the 36 states of the country were contributing their counterpart funding.

    Aliyu added that states with the highest prevalence rate of HIV had not contributed a dime to the fund in the last two years.

  • NOA inaugurates North-West LG Assembly

    NOA inaugurates North-West LG Assembly

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has inaugurated a Local Government Assembly in the North-West zone of the country, to educate people at the grassroots on the policies and programmes of the government.

    NOA Director-General Garba Abari said at the inauguration ceremony at Kagarko Local Government Secretariat, Kaduna, that the assembly would assist the government to meet the yearnings of rural dwellers.

    Abari explained that the creation of the assembly was in line with the agency’s mandate to enlighten Nigerians on the need to support the government in its efforts toward developing the country.

    According to him, the assembly provides a platform for direct interaction with the people, to enable the government to know the pressing needs of rural dwellers with a view to addressing them.

    Abari said that a similar assembly would soon be inaugurated in the South-West, adding that it is the best channel to achieve a better Nigeria.

    Earlier, Mr. Mohammed Kabir, the Chairman, Kagarko Local Government Area, commended NOA for the laudable initiative and urged the residents to sustain the relative peace in the area.

    In a remark, Mohammed Usman, the Divisional Police Officer, Kagarko Police Station, also assured the residents that efforts were being made to sustain peace in the area.

  • NOA Boss appeals for patronage of parks, tourist sites

    NOA Boss appeals for patronage of parks, tourist sites

    Dr Garba Abari, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged Nigerians to patronise the nations parks and game reserves as a way of developing the tourism sector in the country.

    Abari made the remark in a statement signed by Mr Paul Odenyi, Head of Press Unit, NOA, and issued out in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The Director General, who was speaking when the Conservator-General of the National Park Services (NPS), Alhaji Ibrahim Goni paid him a courtesy visit, said that Nigeria had all it takes to be a tourism nation.

    Abari said that the government was working hard to restore the security of the country to normalcy and citizens must develop love and patriotism for the country.

    Abari called for relationship between NOA and NPS to be deployed at all levels to propagate government policies and programme.

    The NOA boss said that the Agency had offices in the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as 774 Local Government Areas and the Federal (FCT).

    He said that such presence in the country gave the agency robust platforms to educate and enlighten the citizens about the abundant wild life and tourism resources in the nation.

    According to him, Nigeria has what it takes to be a tourism destination for all.

    In his speech, Goni said that the essence of his visit was to seek ways of collaboration with NOA for effective advocacy and enlightenment on National Park Services.

    He said that the NPS had been upgraded to a paramilitary organisation in line with international standard and was seeking support for mass awareness and publicity.

    Goni stated that the NPS if properly positioned could serve as agent of rural transformation, integration, creation of employment and provision of health facilities for the host community.

  • Democracy, best form of government for Nigeria – NOA

    Democracy, best form of government for Nigeria – NOA

    Dr Garba Abari, the Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), says democracy remains the best form of government for Nigeria given the nation’s unique composition, history and international relevance.

    Abari said this in a congratulatory message signed by Mr Paul Odenyi, Head, Press Unit, NOA, to Nigerians on the 2017 Democracy Day that marked 18 years of unbroken democratic governance in the clountry.

    He said that this year’s democracy day is symbolic based on the fact that young Nigerians who were only born when we returned to democratic governance have now turned 18.

    “They have come of age to participate fully in the democratic processes of our nation.

    “Therefore, our concern at this time should be to deepen such acceptable societal values and advance such principles of governance that will not only enable our great nation further assert itself as the leader of African continent.

    “Where rights and freedoms are sacrosanct but also ensure that we bequeath to our future generations the best form of governance. Only democracy can guarantee that,” Abari said.

    He also urged Nigerians to use the 2017 democracy day to recommit themselves to their civic duty of participating fully in electoral processes because free and fair elections are the foundations of any true democracy.

    Abari therefore urged Nigerians of 18 years and above who do not yet possess a Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to take advantage of the on-going Continuous Voter Registration exercise across the country to register.

  • NOA commends NASS on proposed Ordinance Act review

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has commended the National Assembly for initiating the review of the Ordinance Act, to make it more effective.

    Dr Garba Abari, the NOA Director-General, made the commendation in Abuja on Tuesday in a statement signed by Mr Paul Odenyi, Head, Press Unit.

    Abari said that the commitment of the House of Representatives would ensure stiffer sanctions against abuse of national symbols.

    He also said that the sponsor of the bill had proposed a N100, 000 penalty against people who distort the national flag and other national symbols.

    He commended the National Assembly for giving legal recognition to the agency’s advocacy for the amendment of relevant but obsolete sections of the Ordinance Act.

    Abari said that the obsolete state of sections of the Ordinance Act, made it difficult to appropriately sanction defaulters.

    He, therefore, commended the 8th National Assembly for taking measures to protect national symbols from abuse.

    He said that the agency would make appropriate input into the bill during the public hearing and other committee activities that might be required in the process.

    The NOA boss had previously presented the correct Nigerian National Flag to the Senate and House of Representatives heads of committees overseeing the agency.

    The Bill for an Act to amend the National Flag and Coat of Arms sponsored by Hon. Sam Onuigbo on May 5, had scaled through the second reading.

     

  • NOA, Amnesty office partner to promote agri-business in Niger Delta

    NOA, Amnesty office partner to promote agri-business in Niger Delta

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Amnesty Office in the Presidency have entered into a strategic partnership to promote agriculture and allied businesses among former militants in the Niger Delta region.

    The NOA Director General, Dr Garba Abari, and the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty, retired Brig.–Gen. Paul Boroh, formalised the partnership at a meeting in Abuja.

    Abari said that the partnership was aimed at developing the new Federal Government policy of strategic engagement with the leaders and people of the region.

    He said that the project would result in increased federal revenue as well as ensure peace in the region.

    He encouraged the Amnesty Office to sustain its work in the region in order to achieve the Federal Government’s developmental goals in the region.

    According to him, the Amnesty Office must ensure the inclusion of youths in the region’s development plan for sustainability.

    “I encourage you to ensure the social inclusion of youths in the region because they have the advantage of age, strength, education and population.

    “About 67 per cent of our population is below the age of 35 years and every effort must be made to factor the youth into the national development policy.

    “NOA is willing to partner in the task of creating awareness on agriculture in the region because it has began a programme of promoting the “Eat What You Grow and Grow What You Eat” campaign,’’ Abari said.

    Earlier, Boroh said the Amnesty Office was focusing attention on the agricultural potential of the region.

    According to him, the partnership with NOA is designed to make agriculture an occupation of choice for the people of the area.

    He said that the Amnesty office would initiate other partnerships with other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Environment, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and NNPC, among others.