President Bola Tinubu has signed the National Anthem Bill 2024, restoring the old national anthem “Nigeria, we hail thee”. This announcement was made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, commemorating the Silver Jubilee of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and coinciding with the one-year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Tinubu later joined the joint session and confirmed “Nigeria, we hail thee” as the “latest national anthem”. Akpabio explained further that the sitting was primarily to launch the new national anthem, and the President would not be making a speech as he had to leave to launch the Abuja metro line.
The Senate and the House of Representatives had previously passed the legislation to swap the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” at separate sittings. Following the signing of the bill by the President, the joint sitting adopted the former national anthem “Nigeria, we hail thee”, jettisoning the one that had been in existence since 1978.
The old anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee”, composed when Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960, has replaced the “Arise, O Compatriots” anthem. Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria during its independence, penned the lyrics, while Frances Berda composed the music. The anthem played a significant role in shaping Nigeria’s national identity and unity during the 1960s and late 1970s.
The lyrics of “Nigeria We Hail Thee” are as follows:
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.
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.
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.
