By John Dike, Osogbo
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has rejected allegations by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) that it is exceeding its statutory mandate through its involvement in the proposed National Learner Identification Number (LIN) initiative.
NANS, in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, had opposed the proposed LIN, describing it as unnecessary and potentially duplicative of the National Identification Number (NIN).
The students’ body also questioned NOA’s involvement in the initiative, alleging that the agency was championing an identification system outside its statutory responsibilities.
However, the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, clarified that the agency neither originated nor has the responsibility of implementing the proposed LIN initiative.
Issa-Onilu through a statement by the
Deputy Director, Communication and Media, Paul Odenyi, explained that NOA’s involvement was strictly within its statutory mandate of communicating government policies, programmes and activities to citizens, as well as facilitating meaningful engagement between government and the people.
According to him, NOA’s communication responsibility covers policies and programmes across government and is not limited to initiatives formulated or implemented directly by the agency.
“As the primary government agency responsible for public orientation, NOA works across Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that citizens receive accurate, timely and understandable information about government policies, programmes and activities,” he said.
The Director-General stressed that there was a clear distinction between policy formulation, implementation and communication.
He explained that the government authorities responsible for the LIN initiative remained in charge of its formulation and implementation, while NOA’s responsibility was to explain the policy to Nigerians in clear and accessible language and provide platforms for citizens to express their views and concerns.
Issa-Onilu said the two-way communication approach was central to the agency’s renewed public engagement strategy, particularly through its “Pulse of the Nation” reports, which capture citizens’ opinions and reactions and communicate them back to government.
He acknowledged NANS as an important stakeholder in the discussion, noting that students should have a voice on policies capable of affecting their interests.
The NOA boss, however, urged the students’ body to direct its substantive concerns about the proposed LIN to the appropriate government institution responsible for the initiative.
He maintained that the agency’s role in communicating a government policy should not be interpreted as an attempt to formulate, impose or implement such a policy.
“NOA’s role is to ensure that citizens understand what government is doing, why it is doing it and how they can engage with it. This is fundamentally different from being the institution that formulates or implements the policy,” he said.
Issa-Onilu therefore called on NANS and other stakeholders to distinguish between the responsibilities of the institution driving a government policy and those of the agency legally mandated to communicate government policies to the public.
He added that NOA remained open to constructive engagement with NANS, students and other stakeholders on the proposed LIN, including questions regarding its relationship with the existing National Identification Number.
According to him, such engagement is an integral part of NOA’s mandate as a bridge between government and citizens and should not be misconstrued as an overreach of the agency’s statutory responsibilities.
The Director-General reaffirmed NOA’s commitment to transparent, inclusive and two-way communication with Nigerians, stressing that citizens’ concerns and perspectives were essential to effective public policy communication and democratic governance.
