The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) have agreed to partner on voter education and public enlightenment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this when he received a delegation of ACOE, led by its Chairman, Mr ‘Sola Akingboye, on a courtesy visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
Issa-Onilu said the agency would leverage its proposed partnership with online media organisations to deepen voter education, promote peaceful elections and encourage greater participation in the electoral process.
He noted that although NOA had a nationwide presence, with 810 offices across the country, collaboration with third-party media organisations remained essential to extending its reach, particularly among young Nigerians.
According to him, online publications have become an important channel for reaching the country’s youthful population, with about 76 per cent of Nigerians below the age of 35.
He said the agency was therefore willing to strengthen its relationship with ACOE and facilitate access to its officials and field offices to support the association’s news-gathering activities.
“We need third-party media to get through to some critical audiences. And because of that, we’ve always had partnerships with different categories of the media,” he said.
The NOA boss said the agency had established a Communication and Media Department to coordinate media relations and partnerships, adding that ACOE would be given priority whenever the agency needed to communicate with Nigerians through the media.
On preparations for the 2027 elections, Issa-Onilu said NOA had already commenced a nationwide voter mobilisation campaign to encourage citizens to participate in the electoral process.
He disclosed that the campaign was formally launched about three weeks ago at the NAV Centre, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, development partners and civil society organisations in attendance.
He explained that the campaign was designed not only to encourage voter turnout but also to educate Nigerians on their rights and responsibilities before, during and after elections.
The agency, he said, was targeting increased participation among the country’s nearly 100 million registered voters, while emphasising the need for peaceful conduct and a better understanding of the electoral process.
Issa-Onilu identified inadequate voter and democracy education as one of the lessons from the 2023 general elections, noting that misconceptions about certain electoral procedures generated unnecessary controversies, particularly on social media.
He cited confusion over the voting status of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the difference between electronic accreditation, voting and transmission of results as examples of issues requiring greater public enlightenment.
According to him, Nigerians need a clearer understanding of the combination of manual and electronic processes involved in elections to avoid misinterpreting electoral procedures.
“The last election of 2023 was an eye-opener. Many things came up after the election that showed clearly that there was a huge gap in terms of education, voter education or democracy education,” he said.
The NOA director-general also stressed that public confidence in INEC was crucial to the success of voter mobilisation, arguing that citizens would be reluctant to participate if they believed their votes would not count.
He said the agency was working with INEC to promote confidence in the electoral process and encouraged the commission to sustain efforts towards improving election credibility.
Issa-Onilu expressed optimism that recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states offered encouraging signs about the electoral process, noting that credible elections would reduce post-election disputes and reliance on courts to determine electoral outcomes.
He, however, warned against attempts to deliberately undermine public confidence in elections through misinformation and the deliberate creation of fear.
The NOA boss also called on journalists to embrace developmental journalism and place national interest above political and personal affiliations.
He urged media professionals to remain committed to holding public institutions accountable without providing platforms for individuals seeking to destabilise the country.
“Nobody can pay me or any of us to destroy what belongs to us,” he said, adding that journalists had a responsibility to promote national development while pointing out issues requiring correction.
Earlier, Sola Akingboye said ACOE, an association of more than 50 online media organisations, was interested in building a mutually beneficial relationship with NOA to strengthen public enlightenment and responsible information dissemination.
He commended Issa-Onilu’s leadership, particularly the agency’s National Values Charter, grassroots communication initiatives and efforts to promote patriotism, integrity and responsible citizenship.
The ACOE chairman said the association’s digital reach and editorial experience could help amplify NOA’s verified activities, public information campaigns and nationwide sensitisation programmes.
He said, “Our members possess the digital reach, editorial experience and storytelling capacity to communicate NOA’s programmes, achievements and public enlightenment campaigns to millions of Nigerians.”
He requested timely access to official information, facilitation of media visits to the agency’s state and zonal offices, as well as periodic engagements with the director-general and other officials.
Akingboye said such arrangements would enable members to obtain firsthand information about the agency’s activities and improve public understanding of its programmes.
He also invited NOA to partner with ACOE as a platinum sponsor of its public lecture scheduled for November 19, 2026, and requested that Issa-Onilu deliver the keynote address.
He noted that the event would bring together stakeholders from the media, government and private sector to discuss national development as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
