The Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has explained that the new national anthem is more meaningful and the lyrics more impactful to connect Nigeria and Nigerians as a people.
Speaking with newsmen on the activities of the national orientation agency in Uyo at the weekend, Issa-Onilu said that the new anthem brings back some sense of patriotism and nationalism, as well as evokes the consciousness of Nigerians as a united entity.
“The National Anthem that we had in 1960 resonates more in comparison to the one we just changed.
“The lyrics are more impactful and meaningful than the one that we just took out. That is the real reason for going back to that,” the DG explained.
He noted that the national anthem is part of the value of a country, stressing that while singing, the wordings make us appreciate one another as a people.
He mentioned that on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the agency will assemble all stakeholders in the country to fashion out the proper and acceptable way of rendering the national anthem.
“On Tuesday next week, we are going to have a national press conference with the stakeholders.
“The National Anthem must be officially rendered.
“Everyone must know which one is the official rendition of the national anthem, and so the process will begin on Tuesday. We are going to call for entries for musicians and people like that.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a national anthem that we can all connect with. Do we have to use Western instruments for our national anthem?
“Can we put together our local instruments and produce a very beautiful rendition?
“So, these are the things we are looking at. We want a national anthem that is actually Nigerian in nature, texture, and tonality,” he said.
He, however, urged the citizens to continue to support government policies and programmes, as all are geared towards a better Nigeria.
He added that the policies taken by President Bola Tinubu are the best policies for the nation and should have been taken by successive administrations.
“Yes, the condition that we are in now—we cannot lie about it—we are all facing the same realities, but we are facing the necessary realities now.
“This process is a necessity that we must go through. The luck that we have is that we have a president who is not dodging, and that is why he is taking the responsibility.
“We know that all the actions that he has taken are actions that should have been taken 10 or 20 years ago,” he said.
He disclosed that NOA has started what is called “The Explainer,” which comes out every Friday as an e-newsletter that circulates all over the country to explain government policies on a weekly basis.
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