Dr Garba Abari, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), affirmed that patriotism and active citizens participation will help Nigeria to achieve national growth and development.
Abari made this known at a news conference to commemorate the 2023 National Citizens and Patriots’ Day in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports, the National Symbols Day is celebrated every Sept.16, while Citizens and Patriots Day is commemorated every Sept. 30.
”The importance of patriotism to national development cannot be overemphasized as it takes patriotic citizens to develop a nation and citizenship without patriotism is perhaps the greatest bane of any nation or community.
“It goes without saying that the Nigeria of our dreams can only be achieved by a collective effort of patriotic citizens.
“It is the love we individually have for our fatherland that will translate into our posture towards the rule of law and other issues connected to patriotism,” he stated.
Similarly, the director-general said good citizenship stemmed from patriotism, adding that the concept of citizenship had evolved beyond having a legal right to participate in the affairs of the state.
“Today, it connotes having a personal sense of belonging to a given community. Culturally, citizenship speaks to the consciousness of a common cultural heritage with specific fellows.
“Therefore, for us as Nigerian citizens to contribute meaningfully to the development of our nation, we must possess a personal sense of belonging in Nigeria while respecting and upholding our cultural heritage as a people.
“Such disposition is the bedrock of patriotism and national heroism,” he added.
