FG approves national citizens value brigade in schools

The Federal Government on Monday approved the creation of the National Citizens Value Brigade across primary and secondary schools nationwide.

It said the gradual erosion of good morals and values among the youth, leading to various forms of misconduct, has raised concerns recently.

Therefore, this brigade is designed to instil a new culture of values the country can be proud of.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House correspondents after Monday’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Idris said, “Today, the council has approved several changes in our policy to strengthen our national value system. The chief of it is that the national citizen’s value brigade has been approved to be established in all our primary and secondary schools.

“This will raise the role model citizens from Nigeria council has noted the gradual eroding of our values especially among the younger ones and this is giving rise to a kind of misbehaviour and act that are not in tune with our traditions and our norms.

“Council has noted that there is a need for strengthening and going back to the core value that Nigeria is known for overtime for which we know that there has been some form of decline.”

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The FG also mandated the introduction of a national value charter into basic and post-basic school curricula, which includes standardising national symbols.

Idris explained that the new syllabus would form key aspects of the topics to be taught in civic education and will be adopted by government appointees upon assumption of duty.

“Again, there was approval of inclusion of national value charter and national symbols to be made mandatory not just in our curriculum but in the teaching of civic education.

Not just in our curriculum but also among the appointees of government, for example at every retreat at the inception of every administration, members of FEC will have training on what our national values not only that but also the standardisation of our national symbols.

“The national flag, the Naira notes and all those things that make what we call our national symbols,” said Idris.

He noted that the National Orientation Agency will reorient Nigerians on how to hoist the national flag in public buildings, offices, cars, etc.

“There is also the need to value reorientation among all Nigerians and this of course the administration will pay a lot of attention to that” the minister added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced that the new curricula for schools will take effect in October 2024.

Mamman said, “There is a general concern about the behaviour and conduct of our young ones in the country and our social values, and civic education is a compulsory subject in secondary schools. But with all that, we are still having some deterioration and serious concern about our national values.

“So we are rolling out a new curriculum for primary schools and secondary schools in Nigeria from this October, which is supposed to incorporate knowledge, skills and values, especially with a special focus on skills, so that our students, when they graduate, they will have skills that they can connect with the economy.”

He also announced that the council approved a contract for the construction of a new senate building for the University of Ibadan and the cost associated with conducting examinations by the National Examinations Council.

“The University Ibadan, which was established in 1948, is having its first Senate building, which is meant to accommodate tens of offices and principal management of the university.

“You may recall, recently that NECO released the results of the examination it ran for millions of Nigerians. So, the Council today approved the process and the cost associated with that,” the minister explained.