By VICTOR ADEOTI

The Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, says the extreme sign-out practice among graduating students in secondary and tertiary institutions is eroding cultural values.

Issa-Onilu said this during a town hall stakeholders’ engagement on the flag-off of the nationwide enlightenment campaign on Thursday in Osogbo.

Issa-Onilu, represented by the NOA State Director, Mr Stephen Adebiyi, said there wa a need for national values re-orientation for students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions against the extreme sign-out practice.

According to him, the agency is highly concerned about the moral decadence and erosion of cultural values resulting from this extreme practice.

“The alarming trends, such as extreme and dangerous sign-out practices by graduating students, call for urgent value re-orientation to inculcate the ethos of dignity, discipline, and responsibility in our future leaders.

“The agency is highly concerned about the moral decadence and erosion of cultural values among our youths, who are the glory of our nation, Nigeria”, he said.

Issa-Onilu also appealed to Nigerians to desist from dumping refuse in waterways to curb flash flooding in the state and country at large.

The NOA DG further stated that the Nigerian Identity Project and National Symbols campaign aimed to deepen citizens’ appreciation of national symbols and what they represented.

He urged Nigerians to collaborate with security agencies to identify and report suspicious activities to safeguard the country.

“Without tranquility and peace, there can never be socio-economic development in the state or the country.

“The greatness of our nation, as well as our state, depends on the values we promote, the unity we uphold, and the responsibilities we collectively embrace”, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stakeholders at the meeting included representatives of the police, immigration, correctional centre, market leaders, Muslim and Christian bodies, among others. (NAN)