NOA Faults NANS Claim Over Learner ID Number

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has rejected claims by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) that it is exceeding its statutory mandate through its involvement in the proposed National Learner Identification Number (LIN).

NANS had rejected the LIN, describing it as unnecessary and potentially duplicative of the National Identification Number (NIN), while questioning NOA’s role in the initiative. The students’ body accused the agency of championing an identification system outside its statutory responsibilities.

But NOA Director-General, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the agency was neither the originator nor the implementing authority for the LIN initiative.

In a statement signed on Thursday by the Deputy Director, Communication and Media, NOA, Paul Odenyi, Issa-Onilu explained that the agency’s involvement was strictly within its responsibility to communicate government policies, programmes and activities to citizens.

He said NOA’s communication mandate covered government policies and programmes generally and was not restricted to initiatives formulated or implemented by the agency.

“As the primary government agency responsible for public orientation, NOA works across Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that citizens receive accurate, timely and understandable information about government policies, programmes and activities,” he said.

Issa-Onilu stressed that policy formulation, implementation and communication were distinct responsibilities, adding that the institutions responsible for the LIN initiative remained in charge of its formulation and implementation.

The Federal Ministry of Education has previously described the LIN as a national digital identity system for learners, with the first phase covering more than 1.9 million candidates registered for the 2026 WAEC and NECO examinations.

According to the NOA boss, the agency’s responsibility is to explain government policies to Nigerians in clear and accessible language while providing platforms for citizens to express their views, concerns and reactions.

He said such two-way communication was central to NOA’s renewed approach to public engagement, particularly through its “Pulse of the Nation” reports, which capture citizens’ opinions and reactions and feed them back to government.

Issa-Onilu acknowledged NANS as an important stakeholder that should have a voice on policies affecting students, but urged the association to direct its concerns over the LIN to the appropriate government institution.

He maintained that communicating a government policy did not amount to formulating, imposing or implementing the policy.

“NOA’s role is to ensure that citizens understand what government is doing, why it is doing it and how they can engage with it. This is fundamentally different from being the institution that formulates or implements the policy,” he said.

The Director-General urged NANS and other stakeholders to distinguish between the institution driving a government policy and the agency mandated to communicate such policies to the public.

NANS had argued that students already had the NIN, which it described as the nationally recognised means of identification for citizens, and called for the government to halt the LIN initiative.

The association also insisted that students should be involved in policies affecting their academic records, identity and welfare.

Responding to the concerns, Issa-Onilu said NOA remained open to constructive engagement with NANS, students and other stakeholders on the LIN, including questions about its relationship with the NIN.

He said such engagement was part of the agency’s role as a bridge between government and citizens and should not be misconstrued as an overreach of its statutory responsibilities.

The NOA chief reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to transparent, inclusive and two-way communication with Nigerians, saying citizens’ concerns and perspectives remained essential to effective public policy communication and democratic governance.