Mr Mike Omeri, the Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Thursday ?called on governments to inculcate patriotism education in school curriculum to drive development.?
Omeri made the call in Abuja while addressing participants at a youth conference organised by the Democracy for Good Governance (DGD) project, an NGO.?
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was aimed at commemorating the Aug. 12 International Youth Day celebration.?
According to him, youths as future leaders can benefit immensely from the teaching of patriotism as a subject in schools as it will help develop values.?
He decried the lack of proper value orientation, saying it could be responsible for the dearth in exemplary leadership.
“We should begin to teach patriotism education in schools instead of civic education; because if you are patriotic you will do the right things and if you do the right things you are performing your civic responsibilities.
“Patriotism that I talk about is not of the youths of today, I have seen that the youths of today are patriotic.
?“I am advocating this because the leaders of today did not attend the school of patriotism that is why we are having so many challenges of inefficiency.
“That is why we have leaders who do not respect each other, do not even respect us. If we agree we to start an occasion at 10 o’clock, all of us will be here at 10 o’clock but the leaders will not be here.
“They don’t respect the time, so if somebody cannot begin by respecting time how do you expect him to have an organised day??
“The patriotic education that I am talking about is to be in school, so that we don’t see follow the path of the elders of today who have failed and a lot can be still be achieved if we teach patriotism education in schools.
“There is still something good in our country, but it takes us to do the right thing, no country emerged from nothing, we are right now at the point where Nigeria should be the only focus.”
He commended Jonathan Akinbiye for volunteering to represent Nigeria in Canoe sports, saying it was an example of patriotism, which youths should emulate.
The NOA boss called on warring communities to sheath their swords and use dialogue to settle their differences.
He also advised Nigerians to work closely with government at all levels to promote Nigeria’s ethical values and to tackle the lingering crisis in some parts of the country. (NAN)