The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has rejected allegations by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) that it is exceeding its statutory mandate by participating 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, alleging that the agency was promoting an identification system outside its statutory responsibilities.
In a statement, Deputy Director, Communication and Media Paul Odenyi Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, clarified that the agency is neither the originator nor the implementing authority for the proposed LIN initiative.
Issa-Onilu explained that NOA’s involvement is limited to its statutory responsibility of communicating government policies, programmes and activities to citizens while facilitating meaningful engagement between the government and the people.
He stressed that the agency’s communication mandate covers policies and programmes across government and is not limited to initiatives formulated or implemented by NOA.
“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 NOA chief said it was important to distinguish between policy formulation, implementation and communication, noting that the government institutions responsible for the LIN initiative remain in charge of its formulation and implementation.
According to him, NOA’s role is to explain government policies to Nigerians in clear and accessible language and provide platforms for citizens to express their views, concerns and reactions.
He said such two-way communication was central to the agency’s renewed approach to public engagement, including its “Pulse of the Nation” reports, which capture citizens’ opinions and reactions and feed them back into government.
Issa-Onilu acknowledged NANS as an important stakeholder whose views should be considered on policies affecting students, but urged the association to direct its substantive concerns about the LIN initiative to the appropriate government institution.
He maintained that communicating a government policy does not amount to formulating, imposing or implementing it.
“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.
The Director-General urged NANS and other stakeholders to distinguish between the institution driving a government policy and the agency constitutionally mandated to communicate such policies to the public.
He, however, said NOA remained open to constructive engagement with NANS, students and other stakeholders on the proposed LIN, including concerns over its relationship with the NIN.
Such engagement, he said, was a core part of NOA’s mandate as a bridge between government and citizens and should not be interpreted as an attempt by the agency to exceed its statutory responsibilities.
Issa-Onilu reaffirmed NOA’s commitment to transparent, inclusive and two-way communication with Nigerians, stressing that citizens’ concerns and perspectives remain essential to effective public policy communication and democratic governance.
