By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Tinubu has signed the National Anthem Bill, officially stamping ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ as the new national anthem.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced this on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, during a joint session of the National Assembly (NASS).
Akpabio, who noted that Tinubu would visit the National Assembly, clarified that the President would not address the House but only flag off the new National Anthem.
The New Diplomat reports that the Senate and the House of Representatives previously passed the legislation to swap the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” at separate sittings.
The old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”, composed when Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960, has replaced the “Arise, O Compatriots” anthem sanctioned during the military regime in 1970s.
Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate, who lived in Nigeria during its independence, penned the lyrics for “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” while Frances Berda composed the music. The anthem played a significant role in shaping Nigeria’s national identity and unity during the 1960s and 1970s until the military replaced with, “Arise, O Compatriots.”
