By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Plateau State Director of the National Orientation Agency, Mrs Kanneg Pam Hworo has said the reintroduced National Anthem by the federal government is not an option as it has become a law.
Hworo said every Nigerian irrespective of party affiliation must be acquainted with the lyrics of the anthem.
She said she is aware that most Nigerians are reluctant in adopting the new change because of the current economic hardship, but emphasised that a law is a law and must be obeyed.
Hworo was speaking with our correspondent at the weekend on the strategies put in place to ensure full compliance of the new assented law.
According to her: “We must be able to adapt to change. It is now a law and there is nothing we can do about it. So we must all learn to recite it.
“The reintroduced national anthem has three stanzas, while the former has two stanzas”, she said.
The NOA boss said the National Assembly reverted to it because President Bola Tinubu had said it brings back some sort of nostalgia that can enable Nigerians to hold on to something.
“Words like native land, in brotherhood we stand, ignites some bonds”, the Tinubu had said.
Hworo said her agency has gone to some schools to ensure compliance and are satisfied that most students and pupils are learning fast.
“We have gone round some schools to ensure that they are acquainted with it. Also, at our managerial meetings we also teach ourselves the lyrics of the anthem.
“We also printed the lyrics out and took it to occasions and have them pasted in strategic areas so that the public can learn.
“Our mobilization strategies are multifaceted, so once we get funds from the national office, we will embark on a broader campaign for enlightenment”, she said.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), on the 29th of May 2024, unveiled the approved version of Nigeria’s reintroduced national anthem.
The president’s action had come a few hours after the senate passed the bill during a public hearing.
Tinubu had assented to the bill despite calls from Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, that the decision to change the country’s national anthem should be subjected to an extensive process.
The reintroduced national anthem is themed ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’. The version used since 1978 is titled ‘Arise, O Compatriots’, our correspondent reports
