Nigeria We Hail Thee, Nigeria’s new national anthem which was signed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria into bill will now be sung as the official anthem.
The new Nigeria National anthem upon signing has however generated alot of discussions on popular platforms like X(formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and popular Nigerian forum Nairaland as to whether it was the right thing to do right now or not.
In this article, OldNaijaHistory will be taking you down the memory lane on some informations and history behind the new national anthem Nigeria We Hail thee.
Nigerian National Anthem
The Nigerian National Anthem, which is made up of 3 stanzas was composed in 1959 by Lillian Jean Williams, a British who lived in Nigeria at the time of independence. The anthem was in use from October 1, 1960 to 1978 when it was replaced by Arise O’ Compatriots.
Stanza 1
Nigeria, we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood, we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland
Stanza 2
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honour’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
Stanza 3
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed
Critism and Withdrawal
After being in use for 18 years, the Nigerian National Anthem, Nigeria We Hail Thee was heavily criticized because it was not composed by a Nigerian or had any contribution from one.
The government at that time, led by Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo then adopted a new one which was composed by Pa. Odiasse and performed by the Nigerian Police band, titled Arise O’ Compatriots, which was in use up until 2024.
Confab Report and Reinstatement of Nigeria We Hail Thee
As part of President Tinubu’s efforts to enforce policy reforms to guide Nigeria unto the growth part, his administration has taken into consideration some of the previous reports and advice that was offered to previous administration like the Orosanye report, Confab report to name a few.
Some of the major highlights of the Confab report includes;
– Full autonomy of the Local Governments.
– Reinstating the first National anthem “Nigeria We Hail Thee” which was said to contribute alot to the country’s unity in diversity due to its wordings.
– Scrapping the current system of 774 local authorities – this is intended to save money and reduce corruption. States would be able to set up their own local systems.
– Creation of 18 new states – equally spread around the country. Also suggested that states wishing to merge can do so if certain conditions met.
– Revenue allocation – proposes reducing share of national income going to the federal government and increasing share for the states.
– Modified presidential system of government that combines the presidential and parliamentary systems of government. The president should pick the vice-president from the legislature.
– Power should be shared and rotated at all levels of government. Presidency should rotate between north and south and among the six geo-political zones of the country. Likewise, the governorship post should rotate among the three senatorial zones in each States.
You can read more on the Confab report here.
Reinstatement and Controversies
Upon reinstatement of the new national anthem amidst a speedy process and assent into bill by the President, some Nigerians have welcomed it as a long overdue development while some have termed it as a misplaced priority.
