The Acting State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Kogi Directorate, Patrick Edogbanya has charged the residents of Lokoja and the entire state to embrace moral values and shun get-rich-quick syndrome and other social vices that are inimical to the society.
Edogbanya gave the charge on Monday when he led the official of the agency on a roadshow at Ganaja road, Lokoja to sensitised Kogi residents on security awareness and other critical issues that are central to nation’s development and unity.
He stated that the agency’s Director General, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, initiated the campaign to sensitise Nigerians on five critical national issues, which include: security awareness, get-rich-quick syndrome, tax reform bill, campaign against HIV-Aids and human rights.
According to him, the nationwide campaign was to mobilise Nigerians to unite with the agency in its commitment to addressing the pressing issues and fostering a more informed, secure and ethical society.
“We have discovered in Nigeria that getting-rich-quick syndrome is one of the key issues why we are getting it wrong as a nation. We are also out to remind the people that HIV is real and still with us in the society. So, we want the people to take the necessary precautionary measures for its prevention.
“NOA is sensitising Nigerians to always be security conscious and report any suspicious movement in their environment to the relevant authorities.
“We are enlightening Nigerian youths to shun ‘get-rich-quick syndrome’ by rejecting shortcuts to wealth and embrace integrity, hard work, and the opportunities provided through government initiatives to make life better for them.
“Imagine this get-rich-quick syndrome especially through the popular yahoo yahoo which has become so bad that even the mothers of these yahoo boys are forming ‘Associations of Yahoo Yahoo Boys’ Mothers.
“This has become prevalence that the federal government through NOA is trying to address the menace. We are taking the information to the streets to ensure that this information gets to the grassroots. We must have value reorientation and ensure we do the right at all times,” he said.
The Acting State Director NOA who advised landlords in the state to always carry out some security checks on every prospective tenants in order to avoid giving their houses to yahoo boys and criminals, said the struggle to effect positive change in the society is the collective effort of all citizens.
