By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohamed Idris, has received the blueprint of the National Values Charter with a pledge to implement a comprehensive strategy that considers the various ways moral values can become engrained in the hearts and minds of every citizen.
This was contained in statement signed and issued by Rabiu Ibrahim Special Assistant to the Hon. Minister of Information and National Orientation .
In December 2023, the Minister constituted a 10-man Committee to finalise Nigeria’s Values Charter, which will be unveiled by President Bola Tinubu this year.
In his remarks, while receiving the blueprint from the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Mohammed Auwal Haruna, in Abuja, yesterday Idris said the Tinubu Administration is determined to define and document the core values that will guide all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion, social and economic status, and all other real or imagined barriers and differences.
“The premise of the National Values Charter is that the government, as represented by elected and appointed representatives, must fulfil basic non-negotiable promises; in return for fundamental commitments from the citizens.
“After all, governance is a social contract; life is about give and take. As the famous saying goes, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected’. Every right comes with a burden of responsibility or set of responsibilities, just as every responsibility should guarantee the enjoyment of certain immutable rights,” he stated.
The Minister said the Charter contains Seven Core Promises of the Nigerian state to the citizens, followed by the Seven Commitments of the citizens towards their country.
He said the current National Values Charter also takes into account the fact that Nigeria has a bourgeoning youth population who lives in a technology-driven world, as such, the government is determined to ensure that the young people of Nigeria own the social contract, and are allowed to take the lead in using it to build, in concert with older generations, a better country, and a better world.
“What we are doing now is building on what has come before. Most importantly, we are serious about learning from the shortcomings of past approaches, and ensuring that we do stand the test of time,” he said.
The Minister acknowledged the efforts of successive governments in trying to find solutions to the systemic erosion of moral values among Nigerians through programmes such as “Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation”, “Change Begins with Me”, the publication in 2020 of a National Ethics and Integrity Policy, among others, stressing that those efforts were geared towards building a nation with positive values that will enable Nigeria to be counted among the best in the world.
