by Chinyere Okoroafor
The Delta State Directorate of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) is quietly reshaping the civic landscape through dialogue to inspire citizens to take ownership of their roles in nation-building, writes CHINYERE OKOROAFOR.
Around the streets of Warri, to the creeks of Bomadi and the urban avenues of Asaba, the Delta State Directorate of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has is evolving into an engine for attitudinal change, strategic communication, and grassroots mobilization.
On assumption of office as the NOA Director-General in 2023, one of his earliest messages was that every state directorate must become a visible, action-oriented, and digitally aware hub for civic education and public trust.
In Delta State, that charge seems to have found fertile ground, as the state directorate responded with energy, innovation, and a people-centered approach.
“We saw the renewed mandate as a wake-up call,” said Comrade Patricia Nkiru Umunna (Mrs), Deputy Director Admin and Human Resources in the Delta office. “We knew we had to do more than just disseminate information; we had to win back the hearts of the people.”
One of the directorate’s major initiatives is the “Bringing Government Closer to the People” campaign. Through town hall meetings, community dialogues, and partnerships with local governments, NOA Delta has positioned itself as a two-way communication bridge, taking government policies to the grassroots and channeling citizen feedback back to Abuja.
In communities like Oshimili South, Ughelli, Burutu, and Sapele, the directorate has hosted regular community engagement sessions where issues such as subsidy removal, the new student loan scheme, voter education, and the fight against fake news are openly discussed in local languages and pidgin English.
This commitment to feedback has also extended to real-time civic monitoring. “We no longer operate in the shadows,” said the state director.
“We are now tracking the public mood, gathering intelligence on misinformation, and helping the government refine how it communicates.”
Delta State’s peculiar environmental and security challenges have also shaped the directorate’s programming. In riverine communities affected by oil spills and pipeline vandalism, NOA has fronted campaigns on environmental ethics, non-violent protest, and responsible resource stewardship.
In collaboration with local youth leaders, the directorate launched the “Delta Youth for Peace and Progress” initiative in 2024. The initiative is a multi-tiered campaign that uses music, storytelling, and sports to engage young people in civic duty and discourage cultism, electoral violence as well as internet fraud (Yahoo Yahoo).
One of the highlights was the Youth Peace Summit in Warri, which brought together over 300 young people from across ethnic lines for dialogue on conflict resolution and nation-building.
“We’re not just preaching to the youth,” said one coordinator. “We’re building a new civic culture with them.”
In the age of viral rumours and disinformation, NOA Delta has expanded its footprint into radio, television, and digital platforms. Regular appearances on local radio stations like Trend 100.9 FM and Delta Broadcasting Service have become vehicles for public enlightenment on topics ranging from health campaigns to civic rights.
The introduction of The Explainer, the NOA’s fact-checking and policy decoding platform, has added a new layer of credibility. In partnership with media houses, NOA Delta trains journalists and social media influencers on ethical reporting and media literacy, thus pushing back against fake news and conspiracy theories that often spark divisive conversations and breed exacerbate bigotry.
A key strategy that has deployed by the directorate is the deliberate effort to embed civic messaging within cultural institutions. The agency works closely with traditional rulers, town union leaders, and religious figures to provide cultural contexts to civic messages in a way that resonates locally.
In Anioma land, the directorate translated key policy messages into Igbo dialects. In the Ijaw-speaking parts of Burutu and Patani, community theatre and storytelling are being used as tools for environmental education and peacebuilding.
“When the message comes from the palace or the pulpit, people listen differently,” noted an NOA mobiliser in Bomadi.
In alignment with the NOA’s national shift to digital civic tools, the Delta State Directorate has embraced platforms like the Mobiliser App, where citizens can ask questions, report civic issues, and access real-time government information.
Local social media campaigns featuring Delta youth influencers have also helped bridge the trust gap between young people and public institutions.
The use of WhatsApp groups for community leaders has also proven effective in remote coordination, countering misinformation during crises such as flooding and fuel scarcity.
Under the current dispensation, the directorate has engendered a resurgence in community participation across the state, with public response to NOA events growing significantly. For this, the directorate has been commended by civil society groups and local governments for its role in conflict mediation, environmental advocacy, and public education.