Two of Nigeria's foremost youth facing federal agencies have moved to deepen their partnership in Anambra State, joining forces to confront what both Institutions describe as a growing crisis of values, drug abuse and digital age identity among young Nigerians.
The National Orientation Agency's Anambra State Acting Director, Barrister Lady Ifeoma Chijioke, led a delegation of Senior Management Officers on an advocacy visit to the NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs. Pauline Ojisua, at the Ebele Ofunneamaka Okeke Federal Secretariat Complex in Awka. Chijioke described the NYSC office as the second home of the NOA, noting that the two Agencies have maintained a longstanding partnership in implementing National Orientation Programmes across the State and the Country.
At the heart of the visit was a shared concern about the moral and psychological formation of Nigerian youth. Chijioke called on the NYSC leadership to design programmes capable of discouraging young people from drug use, specifically citing narcotics and methamphetamine. She also advocated for the establishment of integrity clubs in primary and secondary schools across Anambra State, arguing that instilling values at an early age remains the most effective intervention. "There is every need to catch the youths young," she said.
Mrs. Ojisua welcomed the visit, affirming the NOA's consistent support for human oriented NYSC programmes in the State. She spoke of her office's determination to collaborate with the NOA in sensitising young people on the risks associated with artificial intelligence generated content and the erosion of authentic ethics and core values among the current generation. She added that her office currently trains Corps members in more than six vocational skills beyond their primary assignments, to ensure they enter the workforce as self reliant individuals.
The NYSC Desk Officer in NOA Awka and Assistant Director of Youth Engagement and Inclusion, Mr. Ignatius Obiorah, noted that orientation sessions for corps members have traditionally focused on values, ethics, social norms and national identity, to help them integrate meaningfully into their host communities.
The visit concluded with an exchange of publications and communication materials between the two agencies, a small gesture that nonetheless reflected a broader commitment to sustained collaboration at a time when the Institutions shaping Nigeria's youth are under considerable pressure to respond to a rapidly changing social landscape.
