President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed into law the National Anthem Bill 2024, which reverses the country’s national anthem to the original “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced this change during a joint session of the National Assembly, which celebrated the Silver Jubilee of Nigeria’s 4th Republic. President Tinubu later joined the session, confirming that “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” will be the new national anthem.
The National Assembly passed the bill on Tuesday, which aims to restore the anthem that was first adopted in 1960 after Nigeria gained independence but was later replaced in 1978 by “Arise, O Compatriots” during the military rule of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The new law will require the country to revert to the old anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee,” which was used until 1978. The lyrics were penned by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate residing in Nigeria and received numerous criticisms, including the fact that its composer was not Nigerian.
The Lyrics of “Nigeria We Hail Thee”
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.
