The team was warmly received by Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu,the director general of the Agency, alongside Directors and senior management officials of the NOA.

The visit centred on the Foundation’s flagship initiative, the Values for Daily Living (VDL) Project, a programme designed to promote positive behavioural change, revive national values, and strengthen civic responsibility among Nigerian youths and citizens at large.

The HSF team shared insights from their annual national values conference, community engagements, value-based training programmes, essay competition and nationwide advocacy efforts, aligning strongly with the NOA’s mandate to foster national consciousness, unity, and responsible citizenship.

Speaking during the visit, Mrs. Ani emphasized the urgent need for multi-sector collaboration to rebuild a culture of integrity, empathy, patriotism, and ethical conduct in Nigeria.

She commended the Mallam Lanre Onilu led NOA’s efforts which have repositioned the agency for positive impact across the 774 LGAs of the country.

She also expressed the Foundation’s commitment to partnering with the NOA to scale the VDL Project to more communities and institutional platforms across the country.

In his response, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu commended the Foundation for its dedication to values reorientation, describing the VDL initiative as timely and complementary to the Agency’s strategic efforts to reshape public attitudes and strengthen national development.

He reaffirmed NOA’s readiness to work closely with HSF to deepen citizens’ engagement in the shared interest of Nigeria.

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.

Organized by the Help Sphere Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of values education, climate action, and humanitarian causes, the conference was convened by Mrs. Sandra Ani, President of the Foundation and visionary initiator of the VDL Project.

This year’s conference, themed “IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE” attracted distinguished personalities including the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, as well as delegations from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Members of Education community, parents, religious institutions, civil society organizations, the media and other critical stakeholders.

In her welcome address, Mrs. Ani reflected on the growth of the VDL Project, which began as her personal initiative during her National Youth Service in Akwa Ibom State in 2013.

She noted that what started as a small community development effort – renovating an orphanage home, empowering youths, and providing eye care for the vulnerable has now evolved into a nationwide values advocacy movement touching lives across Nigeria.

A key highlight of the conference was the Grand Finale of the 2025 VDL National Essay Competition, which recorded over 800 entries from students across tertiary and secondary institutions across the country.

The top 20 finalists competed in Enugu, with Dickson Sunday from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State emerging as the winner of the Tertiary Category, receiving a ₦1,000,000 cash prize, while Amarachi Nkemakolam Moses from Federal Government Girls College, Lagos, clinched the Secondary School Category, going home with ₦500,000.

While the top two (2) Finalists in both categories all got consolation prizes, the most outstanding 20 finalists were also formally decorated as VDL Ambassadors and will lead values advocacy campaigns across their various states and institutions promoting integrity, empathy, discipline, and civic responsibility among young Nigerians.

In his keynote speech, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, the director general of the NOA, commended the initiative and reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with organizations like the Help-Sphere Foundation in promoting civic values and ethical reorientation across the nation.

Other speakers and panelists echoed the need for collective responsibility among government, schools, families, and communities to rebuild Nigeria on strong moral foundations.

The conference ended with renewed enthusiasm among participants, partners, and young people to drive the Values for Daily Living Campaign – a movement that continues to inspire a new generation of Nigerians to live right, lead right, and influence right.

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