Easter Celebration: DG NOA Tasks Nigerians on Love, Tolerance, Unity
By Admin
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 relationships with one another.
Invoking the spirit of Easter as a season of sacrifice, reconciliation, and renewed hope, Issa-Onilu urged Nigerians to reflect these values in their daily interactions, 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 from that diversity.
The DG, however, warned that terrorists and other criminal elements remain the greatest enemies of the Nigerian state. He cautioned 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 the Angwan Rukuba community in Jos on Palm Sunday as clear evidence of the grave threat these enemies of progress pose to the nation’s peace and unity.
Issa-Onilu assured Nigerians that the government is not relenting in its efforts to tackle insecurity, noting that it remains fully committed to deploying every available resource and strategy to achieve a lasting solution across the country.
He also appealed to Christians and Muslims nationwide to stand firmly together in the face of these threats, stressing that terrorists and their sponsors are the common enemies of all Nigerians and must not be allowed to create division 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. He urged religious leaders, traditional rulers, and community stakeholders to use their platforms to promote messages of peace, tolerance, and mutual respect among their followers.
Speaking further, he called on the media and civil society to play an active role in countering divisive narratives and hate speech, which terrorists and their sympathisers often exploit to recruit, radicalise, and pit communities against one another.
Issa-Onilu concluded his message by extending warm Easter felicitations to Christians across Nigeria, expressing hope that the season will usher in renewed hope, healing, and harmony for the nation.
