Omeri on Buhari: We need change

Mike Omeri, director-general of the national orientation agency (NOA), says it is true that Nigeria needs change, but it must be the change that begins on a personal level – not change by mere sloganeering.

Omeri was speaking on Thursday while urging Nigerians to support the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari and other elected officials.

Explaining that the call became necessary because the elected officials were representatives chosen by the Nigerian people, he said the representatives need all the support to succeed in performing their duties.

“This is our country. The people taking over government are not citizens of outer space,” he told NAN.

“They are citizens of Nigeria and everybody who has opportunity to serve will serve in the interest of Nigerians. So, being representatives elected by us, we need to give them the support.

“We need change that comes from the person, that comes from the heart, because no matter the sloganeering, no matter the intention, if there is no change from the individual person, if there is no personal transformation, which begins with the individual, we cannot achieve it.”

Omeri said that for the desired change to be achieved, it has to come from every individual, irrespective of cultural, social or religious affiliations.

“We need to support government, we need to work with public institutions to do the right things at all times and we eliminate the vices that seem to stunt our growth,” he added.

He also implored Nigerians to derive strength from their diversity and use it to develop the country.

Omeri, one of President Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists, was briefly the subject of controversy in the buildup to the general election, as the president named him on his campaign team, much to the chagrin of opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which described the action as “an act of impunity and violation of the NOA act”.

“The action by the ruling PDP violated Part 2 Section 6 (2) of the National Orientation Agency Act, which prescribed that the director-general of agency should be non-partisan,” APC said.

“The action is in bad taste and contravenes the public service rules to which all public servants, including the DG of the NOA, is bound. The publication of Omeri’s name in some national dailies with other members of the PDP publicity sub-committee is insensitive, reckless and in poor taste.”