The Federal Government has raised alarms about the growing influence of "foreign attitudes" among Nigerian children, which it attributes to their exposure to foreign cartoons.
Lanre Onilu, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), made this announcement in Bauchi on Friday during the launch of a campaign to promote the National Anthem and the National Value Charter. Represented by Nura Yusuf Kobi, the National Director of PRS (NOA), Onilu expressed concerns about foreign cultures seeping into Nigerian homes through cartoon characters. He revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved the initiative to replace foreign cartoons with Nigerian content that fosters national values.
"We are worried that Nigeria is raising children with foreign behaviors. Our kids are picking up various foreign attitudes from cartoons produced in other countries. We will replace these with local cartoons that reflect our character and culture, substituting those currently aired on platforms like GOtv and StarTimes," Onilu stated.
He added, "Nigeria's image has been poorly represented internationally, often associated with kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, and fraudsters. We aim to redefine our identity, as it is currently unclear. In the past, under leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria had a well-defined identity.