The National Orientation Agency and the Values for Daily Living organization have taken a decisive step toward strengthening national values and civic responsibility in Nigeria.

On Monday, November 24, 2025, NOA Director General Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu received a delegation from VDL at the Agency’s headquarters, setting the tone for what both sides described as a promising partnership.

The engagement is part of wider efforts to promote values reorientation, moral development, and citizenship education across the country. During the visit, the VDL team gave a detailed briefing on their work, outlining the progress of their values advocacy programmes and their growing footprint among young people.

VDL, a character-building organization, focuses on tackling moral decline through ethical guidance, youth engagement, community outreach, and educational partnerships. One of the core components of their work is the annual Values Advocacy Conference, also known as the Take It Back Conference. The event brings together parents, teachers, youth leaders, and other stakeholders to reflect on the state of values formation in Nigeria and to chart new approaches for moral renewal.

With panel sessions, audience interactions, and expert-led conversations, the conference has matured into a national avenue for discussing issues around parenting, character shaping, education, and collective responsibility.

Responding to the presentation, Mallam Issa Onilu praised the VDL team for their commitment to youth development and moral empowerment. He noted that their work aligns closely with NOA’s national values reorientation agenda, especially the Nigerian Identity Project and the development of the National Values Charter. Both initiatives aim to articulate core Nigerian values, integrate them into school systems, and strengthen the bond between leaders and citizens.

He also highlighted the progress made with the introduction of the Heritage and Citizenship Studies curriculum in primary and secondary schools. According to him, VDL’s training manuals and values-focused materials fit neatly into the values framework currently being designed for schools and tertiary institutions.

The Director General said NOA is open to collaboration in curriculum development, literature review, and targeted youth values education. Both sides agreed that coordinated partnerships are essential for promoting ethical behaviour and restoring societal standards.

The meeting ended with a shared commitment to pursue structured collaboration to ensure that values education becomes a central pillar of Nigeria’s national development effort.