By Abiola Olawale
There was a technical error at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as the old national anthem of Nigeria was played before the kick-off of the World Cup qualifier match between Super Eagles and Benin Republic.
The old anthem, “Arise O Compatriots” was also recited by the Super Eagles player when it came up.
Realising the error, the technical crew of the stadium, in an unusual manner, played the new national anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee”, before the blast of the whistle for the commencement of the second half.
The New Diplomat reports that on May 29, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill, officially stamping ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ as the new National anthem.
Below here are some of the reactions of Nigerians curated from the social media:
“They played Arise o Compatriots for the Super Eagles ni sha. And the players sang along. 😂😂😂
#BENNGA #WorldCupQualifier”(@iambolar)
“Before the Nigeria match started, FIFA decided to play the previous National Anthem. Is FIFA not aware of the recent changes to our national anthem?”(@Imranmuhdz)
“The Super Eagles of Nigeria sang the old national anthem instead of the new one 😂
This is laughable and shows the confusion coming from this government” (@realtuanta)
“Nigeria Dey play match, an old national anthem them play for them…
What a shame!!!!”(@_TChukwuemeka)
