NOA URGES EKITI GOVERNOR TO BAN INDECENT SIGN-OUT CELEBRATIONS, PRIMARY SCHOOL PARTIES
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has called on the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, to place an outright ban on the trending culture of sign-out celebrations in schools, as well as elaborate graduation parties for pupils in kindergarten and primary schools.
The Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, raised the concern while addressing a press conference in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday to launch a two-week nationwide enlightenment campaign on national values and civic responsibility.
Issa-Onilu, who was represented by the National Director of Civic, Values, and Democracy Education, Dr. Olukemi Afolayan, described the practices as “needless distractions” that exploit parents financially and expose children to moral and social dangers.
He observed that what began as innocent expressions of excitement by graduating students has now degenerated into indecent and harmful practices, especially among secondary and tertiary school leavers.
According to him, the agency’s findings revealed that many students now resort to drug use during sign-out ceremonies, with some relying on illicit substances to boost confidence or cope with peer pressure.
The NOA boss further lamented that the ceremonies often serve as opportunities for violent confrontations and inter-school clashes, thereby endangering the lives of young people who should be celebrating academic milestones in a responsible manner.
“It is indecent for boys to scribble on sensitive parts of girls’ bodies, and this is now common during sign-out activities. We also discovered that some students use the events to take drugs or carry out acts of revenge against their peers. All these practices are dangerous to their future and unacceptable to society,” Dr. Afolayan said on behalf of the DG.
She stressed that if urgent steps were not taken to halt the trend, the state and the nation at large risked raising a generation that normalizes indecency, violence, and drug abuse in the name of celebration.
On the issue of elaborate graduation parties for young children in nursery and primary schools, Issa-Onilu condemned the rising culture of organizing extravagant events that put unnecessary pressure on parents.
He argued that such parties, often marked by flamboyance, were exploitative and misplaced, as they created wrong impressions about the essence of education and achievement at that stage of a child’s life.
“These events are not only financially burdensome for parents but also encourage children to focus on frivolities instead of building character, discipline, and knowledge,” he said.
The NOA DG explained that the enlightenment campaign being flagged off in Ekiti would tackle extreme sign-out practices, raise awareness on flood mitigation, sensitize citizens on government policies, promote the national identity project and national symbols, as well as strengthen national security consciousness.
According to Dr. Afolayan, the campaign will be implemented through a multi-faceted approach, including press conferences, media engagements, town hall meetings, and advocacy visits to traditional rulers, religious leaders, women, and youth groups.
She reiterated that the overall objective was to promote national re-orientation, uphold values of decency, and build a society where young people are guided toward positive expressions of joy and achievement.
Issa-Onilu therefore appealed directly to Governor Oyebanji to take decisive action by outlawing indecent sign-out ceremonies and curbing primary school graduation parties in the state.
He maintained that such a step would send a strong signal to other states across the federation and help reset societal values in line with the country’s moral and cultural expectations.