The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has used the Easter season to call on Nigerians to imbibe the values of love, tolerance, and unity in their relationship with one another.
Invoking the spirit of Easter as a season of sacrifice, reconciliation, and renewed hope, Issa-Onilu urged Nigerians to imbibe these values in their daily interactions with one another, transcending the barriers of faith, ethnicity, and political affiliation.
He described the current moment as a critical period in the nation’s history, stressing that Nigeria’s strength lies in the diversity of its people and the collective will to forge a united and prosperous country out of that diversity.
The DG, however, warned that terrorists and other criminal elements remain the greatest enemies of the Nigerian state, cautioning that Nigerians must not allow these destructive forces to succeed in their sinister agenda to destabilise the unity of the country.
He pointed to the recent bomb attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State, during the last Ramadan, and the deadly assault on Angwan Rukuba community in Jos on Palm Sunday as clear evidence of the grave threat these enemies of progress pose to the unity and peace of the country.
Issa-Onilu assured Nigerians that the government is not relenting in its efforts to tackle the menace of insecurity, noting that it remains fully committed to deploying every available resource and strategy to achieve a lasting solution to the problem across the country.
He also appealed to both Christians and Muslims across the country to stand firmly together in the face of these threats, stressing that the terrorists and their sponsors are the common enemies of all Nigerians and must not be allowed to drive a wedge between adherents of the two faiths or undermine the nation’s long-standing tradition of peaceful coexistence.
The DG further noted that it is only through a united front that Nigeria can effectively defeat the forces of terror, urging religious leaders, traditional rulers, and community stakeholders to use their platforms to preach messages of peace, tolerance, and mutual respect among their followers.
In a statement issued by NOA Deputy Director of Communications and Media, Paul Odenyi, the agency called on the media and civil society organisations to actively counter divisive narratives and hate speech often exploited by terrorists to recruit and incite violence.
Issa-Onilu said that his message by extending warm Easter felicitations to Christians across Nigeria, expressing hope that the season would usher in renewed hope, healing, and harmony for the Nigerian nation.