Nigeria's Original National Anthem May Return

Reps. approve bill to play the previous national anthem again

The Senate has advanced a bill that would restore Nigeria's previous national anthem to the next phase of consideration after it passed its second reading.

The Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele's bill has received strong support from other legislators.

The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters is currently reviewing it and has been given a two-week deadline to submit a report.

The bill was overwhelmingly supported by lawmakers who claimed it would better represent prosperity, peace, and unity than the current national song.

They underlined that the current national anthem should be updated in order to better reflect the country's democratic ideals, integrity, and strengthen a greater commitment to nationhood. This was decided after a closed-door discussion on the subject.

The old anthem ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ was replaced with the current one ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ in 1978.

The measure to bring back the former national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” was rapidly approved by the House of Representatives in the interim.

On October 1, 1960, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was proclaimed as the country's first national anthem.

British expatriate Lillian Jean Williams, who resided in Nigeria following its independence, wrote the words for the anthem. “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.” features music by Frances Berda.