Our National Identity Must Transcend Religion, Ethnicity – Minister

*Photo: Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris delivering his address at the National Spokespersons Summit in Abuja on Tuesday*

A sure way for a cohesive Nigerian identity that transcends religion, ethnicity, and political affiliation, is through a compelling national narrative that inspires trust and confidence amongst Nigerians, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, has said.

The Minister spoke at the maiden National Spokespersons Summit organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation on Tuesday, in Abuja.

Speaking on the theme of the summit, “Change Narrative, Change Society,” the Minister said, that in recognition of Nigeria’s diversity, there exists the need to create a cohesive national identity that transcends ethnicity, religion, and political affiliations through the crafting of a compelling national narrative, which inspires trust and confidence among Nigerians.

Idris said his ministry’s flagship national orientation campaign tagged “Nigeria Values Charter”, which would soon be unveiled by the President, embodies a social contract between the country and its citizens and will serve as a blueprint and policy for a national values system, defining Nigerians and reinforcing their personality as citizens.

“The unique thing about this Values Charter is that it is a Social Contract between the government and the citizens and it contains Seven Core Obligations of the Nigerian state to its citizens as well as Seven Commitments of the citizens towards their country. The premise of the Values Charter is that the government as represented by elected and appointed representatives must fulfill some basic non-negotiable promises, in return for fundamental commitments from the citizens,” he said.

Idris also spoke of trust as the cornerstone of viable and sustainable communication, saying while the future of communication points towards technology, that technology can only make a more meaningful impact, if it is anchored on trust.

“Trust remains a critical element in building relationships; be it at personal, group, and even community levels. As spokespersons, we need to make conscious efforts to build trust and restore hope wherever we are. Building and maintaining trust must be a collective responsibility,” he said.