Abia NOA Urges Ward Coordinators to Tackle Misinformation and Strengthen Civic Engagement

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Abia State has called on Ward Coordinators to intensify efforts in countering misinformation, rumours and false narratives by promoting credible and verified information at the grassroots.

Speaking during a sensitization programme held on Friday in Aba South and Isialangwa South LGAs, the State Director of NOA, Dr. Ure Abazie, emphasized that ward coordinators play a pivotal role in driving community awareness, strengthening civic responsibility and fostering peace and mutual cooperation among residents.

Dr. Abazie outlined the key duties of ward coordinators to include active community engagement, creating feedback channels between citizens and government and reporting obstacles to policy acceptance. She noted that coordinators are expected to uphold integrity, discipline and accountability while serving as role models in their communities.

She stressed the importance of organizing sensitization activities such as town hall meetings, door-to-door campaigns, and community dialogues to promote government initiatives on health, sanitation, fire safety, security and education. Coordinators, she said, also act as the first point of contact between the government and the people by clearly communicating directives and ensuring that state programmes reach every household.

Dr. Abazie further reminded them of their responsibility to mobilize citizens to actively participate in government programmes while championing cultural re-orientation. “We want to bring back our language – Igbo. Speak Igbo to your children” she urged, while calling on the coordinators to share the achievements of Governor Alex Otti with their wards.

She cautioned against harassment in the line of duty, noting: “Governor Otti has a dream for a new Abia, and we will not let that dream fade. Your mandate is not to intimidate people but to sensitize and positively influence behavioural change.”

In their remarks, Chief Ogan Okereke, the LGA Coordinator for Aba South, and Mr. Hope Nwaogwugwu, his counterpart in Isialangwa South, assured that coordinators across both LGAs have already begun implementing the directives of the Abia State NOA.