National anthem: Deconstructing the military legacy

On Friday, November 18, 2011, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), called for a referendum to gauge the preference of Nigerians on the two national anthems that the country has had since independence. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu made the call while presenting a paper, titled “Managing Nigeria’s Pluralism For Peace And National Development”, at the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State.

According to Tinubu, managing Nigeria’s pluralism for peace and national development is an issue that should be deeply examined.

“From the beginning of our journey to nationhood, the founding leaders built a country diverse but united. The opening lines of the national anthem we had at independence in 1960 drove home this diversity and our fraternal resolve to build one nation” he stated.

Asiwaju, however, explained that the pogrom in the mid-60s in some parts of the country and the attendant civil war showed that as a people, we have failed to live up to the spirit of that anthem.

“It showed that the leaders and the followers at the time only paid lip service to the injunction of the anthem: Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand. We failed miserably to deploy this mantra for peaceful co-existence and national development, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said.

The ACN leader said abandoning the post-independence anthem, which arguably evoked a strong spirit of patriotism and brotherliness, to compose a very drab replacement, is far less inspirational.

“It was an example of the inconsistency in government thinking; moments when our leaders make unjustifiable about turns as Fela, the afro-beat musician would have put it” he stated.

The ACN leader challenged the graduating class and the alumni of NIPSS to develop new ideas towards accelerating national development and promoting peace in the country.

“In several areas, Nigeria is stuck in the past, applying decadent policies to new, and more virulent problems. But at moments like this, the nation turns to the National Institute for new ideas that should make us break from the moribund past” Asiwaju Bola Tinubu stated.

While marking his first anniversary as President of the nation on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed a Private Member Bill on National Anthem. With the signing of the Bill, he turned the old anthem to a new one and the new one to an old one.

The old anthem of the Nigeria we hail thee was adopted as Nigeria’s National Anthem on October 1, 1960. The anthem’s lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria when it achieved independence. Frances Brenda composed the music for “Nigeria, we hail thee.” She got a prize of $280 for composing the song.

Six Judges made the selection of Frances Brenda’s entry as the winning music for “Nigeria, we hail thee.” The Judges were Professor Fela Sowande, Mr. O. Omideyi, Mr. T.K.E. Phillips, Mr. W.C. Echazona, Mr. M.C. Majekodunmi and Mrs H. Lawson.

One of the Judges, Professor Olufela Obafunmilayo “Fela” Sowande MBE (29 May 1905 – 13 March 1987) was a Nigerian musician and composer. Considered the father of modern Nigerian art music, Sowande is perhaps the most internationally known African composer of works in the European “classical” idiom.

Professor Sowande was born in Abeokuta, the son of Emmanuel Sowande, a priest and pioneer of Nigerian church music. As a child he sang in the Choir of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos. He studied at the C.M.S. Grammar School and at King’s College, Lagos.

The influence of his father and Dr T. K. Ekundayo Phillips (composer, organist and choirmaster) was an important factor in his early years. Through Phillips, Professor Sowande was first exposed to European church music like Bach and Rheinberger.

At that time, Professor Sowande was a chorister and was introduced to new Yoruba works being introduced into the churches. Under Phillips’ tutelage, Professor Sowande earned the Fellowship Diploma (FRCO) from the Royal College of Organists. At that time, he was also a bandleader, playing jazz and popular highlife music.

In 1952, Professor Sowande became musical director of the Nigerian Broadcasting Service. In 1955 he was appointed MBE in the 1955 Queen’s Birthday Honours for this work. In 1962 he travelled to the United States on a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship. In 1968, he moved to Howard University in Washington, D.C., then to the University of Pittsburgh.

His colleagues included Samuel Akpabot (1932-2000), Ayo Bankole (1935-1976), Lazarus Ekwueme (born 1936), Akin Euba (1935-2020), Adam Fiberesima (1926-1975?), Josiah Ransome-Kuti (1855-1930) and Ikole Harcourt Whyte (1905-1977).

He composed several songs including his famous song Oyigiyigi olu orun, atobajaye atobiju, a popular gospel Yoruba song.

The Anthem lasted till October 1, 1978 when General Olusegun Obasanjo, discarded the “Nigeria, we hail thee” and replaced it with “Arise o come patriots.”
Arise o come patriots was the national anthem of Nigeria used from October 1 1978, until 2024 after Nigeria, we hail thee was relinquished. On 29 May 2024, ” Arise o come patriots ” was officially relinquished and replaced by the first national anthem, ” Nigeria, we hail thee ” which was earlier used from 1960 until 1978.

General Olusegun Obasanjo changed the National Anthem on October 1, 1978, twelve months before handing over to President Usman Aliyu Shehu Shagari (February 25, 1925 – December 28, 2018).

In 1978, General Obasanjo, initiated moves to change the national anthem of “Nigeria, we hail thee.” He called for entries. He said at that time that a new national anthem was required because the previous one was composed by a British expatriate. The lyrics of the anthem were taken from five of the best entries in a national contest. The winners were P.O. Aderibigbe, John A. Iliechukwu, Dr. Sota Omoigui, Eme Etim Akpan and B.A. Ogunnaike.

A police officer, Benedict Odiase (August 25, 1934 – June 11, 2013) was tasked with putting the poem to music. He did this by creating a melody that would capture the patriotic and aspirational spirit of the poem.

In 2001, he received the Order of the Niger Award by President Olusegun Obasanjo for his composition of the National Anthem.

To be continued tomorrow..

Teniola, a former director at the Presidency wrote from Lagos.