President Bola Tinubu has signed the National Anthem Bill 2024, reinstating the old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.” Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced this on Wednesday during a joint session of the National Assembly, which marked the Silver Jubilee of Nigeria’s 4th Republic and the first anniversary of Tinubu’s administration.
Tinubu attended the joint session and endorsed “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the “new national anthem.” Akpabio noted that the session’s primary purpose was to introduce the updated national anthem, adding that Tinubu would not deliver a speech due to his scheduled departure to inaugurate the Abuja metro line.
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The Senate and the House of Representatives had previously approved the bill to change the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” during separate sessions. With Tinubu’s endorsement, the anthem used since 1978 was discarded, and the original “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was adopted as the official anthem.
Originally composed for Nigeria’s independence on October 1, 1960, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was penned by British expatriate Lillian Jean Williams, with music composed by Frances Berda. The anthem played a significant role in shaping Nigeria’s national identity and unity during the 1960s and late 1970s.
The bill sponsored by the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, (Ekiti Central), enjoyed overwhelming support from the lawmakers at the Tuesday plenary.
Emerging from a close-door session to debate on the bill, the senators noted that the current national anthem was a product of the military junta, decreed by the military and should, therefore, give way to the independence anthem, which captures national values, ethics and norms.
What are the lyrics to 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.
