By COLLINS YAKUBU-HAMMER

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, says the National Value Charter is to promote positive behavioural change and nationalism among citizens.

Idris said at a media forum on Thursday in Abuja that the country had witnessed gradual erosion of its national values, to the extent that immorality and lack of patriotism had taken centre stage.

According to the minister, most of the contending issues in the country revolve around lack of patriotism and belief in the value system that Nigeria hitherto cherished.

He explained that the government of President Bola Tinubu believed that it was important, “to retrace our steps and recover those values that once made us a great nation.

“We want to go back to those values. We want to see that Nigeria begins to take its rightful place as a responsible country once again so that people will respect us more.

“When this is done, our children coming behind will be proud of the country and perhaps, this may be part of the solution to the ‘Japa’ syndrome.’’

According to the minister, the Charter is going to establish a strong connection between Nigerians and their leaders.

He further stressed that for every citizen to believe in the country, there must be a social contract that connected him or her to the country.

The minister added that It was the social contract the Charter sought to revive and establish.

“If you want to be a good Nigerian, you also expect the Nigeria of your dream. You also expect that Nigeria gives you that sense of pride and belonging.

“That is why we broke it down into two categories; first, there must be something that the citizens of Nigeria look up to in this country, social security, equality, meritocracy, among others

“It is that social contract that connects the citizen and the country itself. Those are the two things that we want to bring together. Government that is elected by the people are expected to give back to the people.

“The elected leaders are expected to behave in a normal way, there should not be corruption. It has to be a two way thing.

“We want to persuade all Nigerians, both the elected and the people to behave in a particular set of direction,’’ Idris said.

He explained that the power of change entrusted in leaders, makes it imperative for the leaders to do the right thing.

The minister recalled that though Nigeria’s founding fathers engaged in healthy rivalries, they all saw the Nigerian Project as theirs and did everything to protect the country.

“So the idea is for us to go back to those values that made us who we were and what we want to be, this may not happen overnight, but the building blocks that will help us achieve it are what we are setting up now.

“We want to have the Nigeria of our dreams; a nation that is safe, secure, responsible, purposeful and prosperous, where the leaders and the people come together to build the nation.

“The creative industry, media, students and many other sectors will be involved in the implantation processes. President Tinubu will lead the project.

“Without this reorientation, there will be no prosperous Nigeria,’’ Idris said.

NAN reports that the blueprint of the National Value Charter was presented to Idris by the Ministerial Committee and National Orientation Agency on Jan. 23. (NAN)