New National Anthem as Misplaced Priority
By Nafisat Bello
The evolution of Nigeria’s national anthems reflects the country’s journey through its post-independence years, capturing the aspirations and challenges of its people. The transition from “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” to “Arise, O Compatriots” during General Olusegun Obasanjo’s era signifies a shift in the nation’s identity and its pursuit of real independence as well as unity in diversity.
On the 29th of May, 2024, marking a year anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in office, a controversial move was made that further proves how far removed our lawmakers are from the reality of daily living in the country when they initiated and passed a bill to replace the national anthem with the old one that was jettisoned in 1978.
The announcement to change our long term beloved National Anthem sparked a wave of mixed reactions across the nation. The decision to alter a symbol of unity and pride was met with skepticism, critics questioned the government’s priorities in a country facing a myriad of pressing issues like insecurity, unemployment, inflation etc.
At a time daily hikes of staple foods, transportation costs, school fees, house rent and other inescapable expenses have combined to further pauperise millions of Nigerians, changing the national anthem is the priority of our federal lawmakers And they did not even bother to seek the views of Nigerians on the matter before rushing to pass the bill. Which is quiet unacceptable to Nigerians at the moment.
However, the Nigerian national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” has long served as a unifying force, evoking a sense of patriotism and national pride among the country’s diverse population. Its lyrics, that was penned by a collective of young Nigerians, John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B. A. Ogunnaike, Sota Omoigui and P. O. Aderibigbe in 1978, exalt the virtues of unity, peace, and progress, reflecting the aspirations of a nation striving for greatness. For generations, these words have resonated with Nigerians, serving as a reminder of the strength and resilience that lie within the country’s people.
The term “native land” in the new anthem carries colonial connotations that can be seen as outdated and exclusionary. It evokes a time when Nigeria’s identity was heavily influenced by its colonial past, rather than its own rich cultural heritage. Also, references to “tribes” underscore divisions rather than unity. While acknowledging diversity is important, the emphasis on tribal identity can reinforce ethnic divisions rather than promote national solidarity.
So, the use of the above words should never have made its way into the National Anthem of our great nation. And having made its way there due to colonial imperialism and the lack of awareness of our Founding Fathers, it is outrageous that the federal government and lawmakers have chosen to return to it, after the Obasanjo Military Government realised the error and did away with it.
It is a common knowledge that the President inherited a bad economy from his predecessor and the choices he has made regarding the fuel subsidy removal and merging the exchange rates were designed to correct some of the distortions that brought us to where we are. Rather than focusing on that, changing the old national anthem with the new one was quiet uncalled for and unnecessary in such a period.
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It looks like a step backwards to discard the ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ National Anthem written by a collective of four young Nigerians, for ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, that was written by an English woman, Lillian Jean Williams.
In one of Reno Omokri’s article, he put forth a question when he asked, and I quote “Does it not sound preposterous that as a country with vision, a foreigner should write our National Anthem? Are we that shallow and uninspired that we cannot come up with our own indigenous anthem? Imagine a land full of music icons, like Fela Kuti, Osita Osadebe, Dan Maraya Jos, and contemporary stars, like Sade Adu, Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid, importing music of national significance from Britain. How does that sound..!”
Unfortunately, it is not just the national anthem that was given by a foreigner, the name “Nigeria” was also given to us by another English lady, Flora Shaw, in 1897 which we ought to have changed to something indigenous, just as Ghana did in 1957 when she changed from Gold Coast to Ghana at Independence in 1957. Its as if we as a great nation, we don’t know our rights, we have given foreigners an opportunity to do to us what they please which does not speak well for the country at large.
If we are to correct all of these, we should have reverted to the original name for Lagos, Eko. Rather than holding on to the name ‘Lagos’ that was imposed on us by the Portuguese. Meanwhile, these Portuguese who renamed Eko as Lagos were just opportunistic slave traders who did not set up any viable administrative structure.
Instead of undertaking these name changes, we are rather doubling down on another colonial relic by discarding the anthem written by our own citizens for one written by a foreigner.
Going by the voice of every Nigerian at this crucial period, the President ought not to have assented to that bill. Instead, he should have written a strongly worded letter to communicate to the National Assembly the implications on our sovereignty and national psyche to revert to an anthem written by a foreigner, which would make us a free nation that willingly chose to return to the yoke of imperialism.
Besides, there are far-reaching implications to bringing back an anthem that was last sung almost five decades ago in a nation in which more than 70 percent of the population is under the age of 30 and life expectancy is 55 years.
So, I foresee a situation in which one day in the not-too-distant future, the National Assembly will pass another bill to revert to the previous anthem.
And we seriously hope that it’s not too late for the President to do what he ought to do? He is the Head of State and has a duty to promote indigenous ideas over imperialistic ones.
How can you on one hand claim you are promoting Nigeria, its goods, services, culture and talents for the purpose of creating a sense of national identity and pride as well as jobs and strengthening the Naira, and on the other hand discarding the indigenous anthem for a colonial one? How do you want the families of those outstanding Nigerian youths who created the indigenous anthem to feel?
Even if the anthem must be changed, why not gather the best Nigerian musical talents and organise a reality show for them to come up with the anthem while giving the winners a handsome reward? This would have made all Nigerians own the new anthem? Why resort to the old, archaic one?
It is not too late for the President to reverse this ridiculous decision. He knows better.
