Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said the country needs to strengthen the social contract between the government and the citizens, to foster trust and patriotism.
In an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, the Minister said the government, represented by elected and appointed leaders, must give back to the people, behave in a normal way, and provide equity, justice, fair play, and inclusivity.
“There is a side that the government has to do. You are expected to, for example, give back to the people that have elected you or to the people that have appointed you that sense of pride,” he said.
Idris said the citizens, in turn, have a responsibility to give back to their country and follow the direction of their leaders.
The Minister was discussing the National Values Charter, a recent initiative to set out and record the fundamental values that should shape the behaviour of all Nigerians, whether they are in public service or not, and to promote a national identity that acknowledges their shared fate.
He admitted the social contract has been broken by some leaders who have taken away the commonwealth of the people and enriched themselves, and by some citizens who have lost faith in the government and the country.
President to launch National Values Charter
The Minister said the president will launch the National Values Charter as part of the campaign to persuade and engage Nigerians to rebuild trust and to agree on the expectations and obligations of both the government and the citizens.
Idris said the campaign will address the issues of economic revival and security, as well as the connection between Nigeria and its citizens.
He said he wants Nigerians to be proud of their country, like Americans, who feel hurt for any American killed anywhere in the world.
“If you take an American, for example, he’s so proud of his country, because for any American killed anywhere in the world, for example, every American feels it. Why is it so? Why is that sense of patriotism?” he asked.
Reviving the spirit of the Founding Fathers
The Minister said the country needs to go back to the era of the founding fathers, such as the Sardaunas, the Ahmadu Bellos, and the Azikiwes, who believed in the country and led by example.
Idris said the country needs to reestablish the ethos and values that made Nigeria who it was and who it wants to be.
He said the country needs to promote meritocracy and shun vices like nepotism, favoritism, and mediocrity.
The Minister said the country needs to overcome the suspicion and division that exist among different regions and groups, adding the country needs to live in peace and harmony, as the founding fathers wanted.
He also said the campaign is a huge undertaking that requires the involvement of all Nigerians.
“It’s a major project that all Nigerians have to embrace,” he said.
“Without this reorientation of the Nigerian citizen towards a sense of belonging, his own country, and how he looks at his own country and how he expects his own country to also behave towards him, there will be no prosperous Nigeria for all of us. So everybody will be part of this at the end of the day.”
Dominica Nwabufo
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