Nigeria, We Hail Thee is the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Dating to 1959, the lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams and the music was composed by Frances Benda. It was first used upon

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

in 1960, the anthem was said to be frowned upon by the military regime until it was replaced by "

Arise, O Compatriots Arise, O Compatriots is a Nigerian patriotic song that was used as the national anthem of Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the G ...

" in 1978. "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was officially readopted on 29 May 2024.

History

"Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was adopted as Nigeria's national anthem on 1 October 1960. A competition was held to select the music and

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

of the anthem. The winning lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams, a British

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

who lived in Nigeria when it achieved independence. Williams worked for the Federal Ministry of Labour and Welfare and donated her prize money to the Nigerian Red Cross. Frances Benda composed the music for "Nigeria, We Hail Thee." In 2024, Tolu Ogunlesi identified that Benda was a pen name for Mrs Charles Kernot, a private music teacher and professional pianist at the Carol Hill School of Classical Ballet in London. Her composition was chosen by judges including Professor Fela Sowande, O. Omideyi, Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips, Wilberforce Echezona, M.C. Majekodunmi and H Lawson. The song was used as the national anthem until it was replaced by "Arise, O Compatriots" in 1978. On 23 May 2024, the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

passed a bill to relinquish "Arise, O Compatriots" and readopt "Nigeria, We Hail Thee". The bill was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on 29 May 2024. The anthem has been regarded as controversial, due to its association with the colonial government. Obiageli Ezekwesili, the former minister of education, declared that she would sing "Arise, O Compatriots" whenever the National Anthem was "called for", hashtagging her post with "#NotMyNationalAnthem".

Lyrics

Nigerian pledge of allegiance is recited immediately after the playing of the Nigerian national anthem. It was written by Felicia Adebola Adeyoyin in 1976.

Criticism

When "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was first adopted in 1960, the new national anthem faced criticism for a number of reasons. The ''Daily Service'', a newspaper run by the Yoruba organisation Egbé Ọmọ Odùduwà, started a campaign against the national anthem, which led to a committee being established to collect signatures as a petition. Following its readoption in 2024, the song was again criticised for the lack of consultation in passing the law designating it as the national anthem and for what was perceived to be misplaced priorities by the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Former education minister Oby Ezekwesili criticised the anthem's suitability, given the presence of "pejorative" words like "native land" and "tribes", and that she would continue to sing ''

'' as the national anthem. A video of political activist Aisha Yesufu circulated online where she refused to recite "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" as the new national anthem. Mohammed Tahir Monguno, chair of the parliamentary committee that pushed through the anthem's readoption, said that the change was "apt, timely and important", while Tinubu said the anthem symbolised Nigeria's diversity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nigeria, We Hail Thee Historical national anthems Songs about Nigeria National symbols of Nigeria African anthems 1959 songs