BRIEF ON WAI BRIGADE VOLUNTEERS

Background
On March 20, 1984, the then Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Major-General Babatunde Idiagbon launched a campaign on ‘National Consciousness and Enlightenment’  at the National Theatre, Igamu,
Lagos which lifted the nation into a sphere of national awareness and prepared ground for the then Head of State, Commander-in-Chief, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s clarion call that we are all Nigerians and we must fight indiscipline.

This formed the basis for the nationalism and patriotism campaign, the third phase of National Consciousness and Enlightenment – the WAI crusade which was launched in Jos, Plateau State, on Monday, August 27, 1984 with emphasis on the National Symbols – the Flag, the National Anthem, the Pledge and the Coat-of-Arms.

The War Against Indiscipline (WAI) Brigade was formed therefore to give practical effect to the campaign against indiscipline.

It is a uniformed voluntary association of able-bodied young men and women trained and expected to instill, inculcate and promote discipline in our society at all times at in all areas of human endeavour.

At birth, the brigade was domiciled with the Federal Ministry of Information & Culture until June 1989 when the Supervision/organization of the outfit was transferred to the then Directorate for Social Mobilisation otherwise known as Mass Mobilisation for Self-Reliance, Social Justice and Economy Recovery (MAMSER).  With the merger of the Department of Public Enlightenment, WAI/NOM Division of the Federal Ministry of Information & Culture with MAMSER to form National Orientation Agency (NOA) in 1993, the management, supervision and operation of the Brigade automatically become part of the Agency responsibility.

Section 10, sub-sections a and b empowered the Agency to:
i. establish with the approval of the Minister of Information & Culture, National Orientation Camps as social instructions for orientation and indoctrinating Nigerians towards developing social desirable attitudes, behaviours, values and culture; and
ii. establish for the purpose of carrying out its functions under this Act, a ‘National Orientation Brigade’.
The aims and objectives of the WAI Brigade:
i. To restore discipline to our national life;
ii. To inculcate the spirit of nationalism and patriotism in all Nigerians using the revered traditions and cultures such as respect for elders and constituted authority, being our brothers keepers, community service, etc to ensure a positive relationship between the citizenry and the nation with particular emphasis on duties and responsibilities;
iii. To ensure and uphold leadership by example;
iv. To promote positive work ethic and community service;
v. To combat corruption, fraud, drug abuse, cultism and other anti-social behavior in the society;
vi. To inculcate in all Nigerians especially the Youth, the values of patriotism, nationalism, integrity, honesty, hard work and respect for elders and constituted authority.

Operational Guidelines
The Operational guidelines of the Brigade in the service of the nation and training are intended to ensure that the Brigade:
i. operates as a voluntary organization in carrying out its duties.
ii. attends or responds to the social needs of the community, group or environment;
iii. has a command structure that issues, takes, and carries out orders to maintain discipline in the performance of its duties;
iv. covers all aspects of human endeavour and societal needs such as health, education, security, etc;
v. is conversant with the Fundamental Principles of State Policy as well as the policies, programmes and activities of NOA and the government of the day;
vi. assists in the implementation of Government Policies, Programmes  and Activities through orientation, mobilization, civic education, public enlightenment and feedback;
vii. keeps a register of attendance of volunteers in all WAI Brigade formations;
viii. keeps roster of deployment;
ix. keeps a record of performance and progress of volunteers;
x. undertakes physical exercise to ensure physical fitness; and
xi. participates in Drills and Parade (Ceremonial or otherwise).


Membership
i. The WAI Brigade is opened to all Nigerians from the age of 6 irrespective of religious, political and ethnic affiliation;
ii. Membership of the Brigade is in three categories:
a. The Pioneers (Nigerian Boys and Girls of 6 – 9 years of age)
b. The Young Vanguard (Nigerian Boys and Girls of 10 – 17 years of age).
c. The Patriot Adults of 18 years of age and above who are meaningfully engaged in the private or public sectors.

Criteria for Membership
i. Members of the Brigade are expected to be credible, honest and non-partisan;
ii. The Volunteers must be certified medically fit by a Government Medical Doctor;
iii. Volunteers must not have been convicted of any criminal offences and must maintain a clean record at all times;
iv. Membership is by application to any WAI Brigade Unit, recommended by a person of repute in the community (e.g. teacher, community leader, religious leader, security official, etc) who shall have known the applicant in the community for a period of not less than five years.

Refocusing of the Brigade
Since the official launch of the outfit, there have been several reviews based on prevailing need of government policy direction.  These are:

(a) War Against Indiscipline & Corruption – May 4, 1994 to fight indiscipline and corruption by Abacha regime.

(b) War Against Indiscipline (WAI) to promote National Rebirth Programme – September 30, 1999 – President Obasanjo’s regime for attitudinal transformation.

(c) Community Support Brigade – May 21, 2013 – President Jonathan’s administration for the Brigade to be Civil in approach and to undertake community duties.


Operation
The WAI Brigade has majority of its members who are not NOA staff.  The volunteers carry out duties with great sacrifice.  Indeed, they are the Agency’s foot soldiers.

They have always been taking part in national, state and local events including independence parade, swearing-in of new government parade, crowd control, intelligence gathering, traffic control where necessary, environmental sanitation etc.

At the national level, the NOA Headquarters takes care of their logistics demands while at the State and Local Government levels, the story varies from state to state.

Kitting
The National Headquarters used to kitt 3 squads of 11 x 3 formation and the Commander (100) to cater for ceremonial need.  However, with the dwindling revenue base of government, the volunteers cater for themselves, mostly in the provision of uniform.  This has given room to variation in uniform.

Band
The Agency purchased 2 sets of parade band for the headquarters with the intention of extending to the states before the economic recession set in.

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