Tinubu bans ‘Arise O Compatriots’, changes national anthem to 1960’s ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’
President Bola Tinubu has outlawed the singing of the ‘Arise O Compatriots’ national anthem in Nigeria following the signing into law of the National Anthem Bill 2024.
The new law returns to the national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee,’ which had been used since the country’s independence in 1960 until the military banned and replaced it.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the revelation on Wednesday at a joint session of the National Assembly to mark the country’s 25 years of uninterrupted democracy.
At the event, which also coincided with the first anniversary of the president’s first year in office, Mr Akpabio said, “This morning, Mr President signed into an Act of Parliament, the newly passed National Anthem 2024.”
According to the Senate president, the joint sitting was aimed at launching the new national anthem while confirming that the President won’t be making a speech because he has to leave to launch the Abuja metro line.
Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, also urged lawmakers and visitors to download the country’s new national anthem.
The president later arrived at the joint session and confirmed ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ as the “latest national anthem” before they all sang together the new anthem, which was initially introduced in 1960 but later outlawed during the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime in 1978.
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