Taiwo Afolayan
The Federal Government’s move to reinstate the old national anthem has sparked diverse reactions from citizens nationwide. On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law, officially restoring “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the national anthem. This change marks a departure from “Arise, O Compatriots”, which has been in use since 1978. Notably, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” served as the country’s anthem from its independence in 1960 until 1978, when it was replaced by “Arise, O Compatriots”. However, many Nigerians are unimpressed by this decision, believing that a new national anthem is the least of the country’s pressing concerns.
An X user Osi_Suave wrote, “There is nothing defensible as regards this national anthem thing.
It reeks of self-respect and national pride to ditch an anthem composed and written by a Nigerian for one written by a foreigner. There are pressing issues to deal with: Inflation, Security, FX market.”
Shehu Sani wrote, “Nigeria is facing serious economic and security challenges but it’s prioritizing changing its national anthem. We have bacterial infection, we opted for Prada fragrance instead of Penicillin.”
@hackSultan: They’re selling 4 pepper for 500 naira but I should be learning a new national anthem…
@actionpastor: “Changing national anthem to old one is misplaced priority when economy and Nigerians are bleeding! Let them takes us back to when fuel was 65 naira per liter!”
@iamsirfrenkie: “The National Anthem is not responsible for our bad economy, it’s not responsible for the insecurity of lives and property, It won’t change anything.”
