Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, the director general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has commended the HelpSphere Foundation for its consistent efforts in promoting value reorientation among young Nigerians.
He gave the commendation while delivering the keynote address at the 2nd edition of the Values for Daily Living (VDL) International Conference, themed “In Pursuit of Excellence,” held on Friday, October 10, 2025, at the Base Landmark Event Centre, Enugu.
Organized by the HelpSphere Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to advancing values education, climate action, and humanitarian causes, the conference, also known as the “TAKE IT BACK Conference”, brought together key national stakeholders, development partners, educators, parents, youth advocates, and civic leaders to reignite conversations on rebuilding Nigeria on the foundation of core values.
In her welcome address, Mrs. Sandra Ani, President of the Foundation and Convener of the VDL Movement, emphasized that:
“Our nation stands at a defining moment, as the place of character quietly slips away”.
She noted that this drift from the values that once held us together has left visible cracks in our homes, institutions, and society, revealing that the crisis we face is not simply one of governance, but a moral crisis. Renewal, she affirmed, begins with families that nurture virtue, young people that embody purpose, and a society that chooses to let values lead once again, so that true excellence and national transformation can be restored.
A major highlight of the conference was the Grand Finale of the 2025 VDL National Essay Competition, which recorded over 800 entries from secondary and tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
Dickson Sunday from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, emerged as winner of the tertiary category, receiving ₦1,000,000, while Amarachi Nkemakolam Moses from Federal Government Girls College, Lagos, clinched the secondary school category, winning ₦500,000.
Other finalists received consolation prizes and were decorated as VDL Ambassadors, tasked with championing values advocacy campaigns in their respective states and institutions.
In his address, Mallam Issa Onilu described the initiative as a timely intervention in Nigeria’s value reorientation journey, reaffirming NOA’s readiness to collaborate with the HelpSphere Foundation to deepen civic education and promote ethical leadership among young Nigerians.
Other speakers and panelists echoed the call for collective responsibility among government, schools, families, and communities in rebuilding Nigeria’s moral foundations.
The conference concluded with renewed enthusiasm among participants and partners to advance the Values for Daily Living Campaign, a movement inspiring a new generation of Nigerians to live right, lead right, and influence right.
