NOA Zonal Director Hails South-West State Directors, Commends DG Over 2027 Voter Mobilisation

NOA Zonal Director Hails South-West State Directors, Commends DG Over 2027 Voter Mobilisation

Daud Olatunji

The National Orientation Agency’s South-West Zonal Director, Mr Kehinde Ogunkuade, has commended the agency’s state directors across the region for their commitment, resilience, hard work and dedication to duty, praising their efforts to deepen civic awareness and mobilise Nigerians for credible and peaceful elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ogunkuade also lauded the Director-General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, for initiating the agency’s nationwide voter mobilisation campaign, describing the programme as an important step towards strengthening democratic participation and addressing electoral malpractices.

The zonal director made the remarks on Monday, October 26, 2026, during an interview with some selected  journalists at the agency’s zonal headquarters in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The nationwide campaign, themed “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Future: Say No to Apathy, Vote Buying and Violence,” was recently launched by Issa-Onilu to kick-start the NOA’s voter education and mobilisation drive ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ogunkuade said the initiative was designed to educate eligible voters on their rights and responsibilities, discourage vote buying and other electoral malpractices, tackle voter apathy and promote peaceful participation in the electoral process.

He explained that the campaign would require sustained grassroots engagement and collaboration among government institutions, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, market associations, artisans, youths and other community stakeholders.

Commending the state directors under his supervision, Ogunkuade said their commitment and dedication had contributed to the implementation of the agency’s programmes across the South-West.

He explained that his responsibilities included coordinating the activities of the state directorates, supervising their operations and conducting peer reviews to assess their performance and ensure that the agency’s objectives were achieved.

The zonal director said he was pleased with the work of the state directors, noting that they had been engaging relevant stakeholders and taking civic education messages to communities across their respective states.

“I am pleased with what they are doing. They are doing their work very well and are working with relevant stakeholders,” he said.

He added that the zonal office would continue to coordinate, monitor and review their activities to sustain progress and improve the effectiveness of the agency’s public enlightenment programmes.

Ogunkuade also praised the NOA Director-General for providing leadership through the nationwide mobilisation initiative, which he said would strengthen the agency’s efforts to sensitise citizens to the importance of participating in elections without selling their votes or resorting to violence.

He expressed optimism that the lessons drawn from previous off-cycle governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states would help improve preparations for future elections, stressing the importance of sustained engagement with voters and other stakeholders.

…..‘Don’t Sell Your Future’

The zonal director warned Nigerians against exchanging their votes for money, food or other material inducements, describing vote buying as a threat to citizens’ long-term interests and the quality of governance.

According to him, voters must understand that accepting inducements in exchange for their votes could undermine their ability to hold elected officials accountable.

He said the agency had been engaging community leaders and other influential stakeholders to discourage vote trading, while taking the message directly to grassroots communities.

“We have taken up the leaders and stakeholders to let them know that there is no need to sell people’s votes. After that, we are talking to the grassroots, saying, ‘Do not sell your future. Do not sell your future for a pot of food,’” he said.