The National Academy of Letters (NAL) has faulted the National Assembly over the speedy passage of the New National Anthem Bill into law.
The group lamented that the lawmakers did not prioritise the interests of the people they claimed to serve.
This formed the thrust of the virtual conference held by the Academy themed ‘What is in an Anthem?’The National Assembly, on May 23, passed a controversial bill to relinquish “Arise, O Compatriots” replacing it with “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.
The bill was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2024. Professor of Applied Communication, University of Ibadan (UI), Ayo Ojebode, said changing the national anthem shouldn’t have been a priority, as what matters is how people can define themselves and the values they uphold, rather than the lyrics.
Ojebode said what is important is for the nation to evolve a sense of value, identity and oneness before changing anthems. Professor of Philosophy, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Maduabuchi Dukor, noted that the anthem should go beyond symbolism, and has to be the reality as Nigeria was no longer in the post-colonial era.
“Being Africans, we value the past, present and future. The national anthem has to be the collective consciousness of the people and be patriotic. It must be an inspirational mantra that will define our ideal in this millennial information age,” Dukor said.
On her part, a Professor of Applied Linguistics and Terminology at the Federal University of Technology, Funmilayo Olubode-Sawe, accused the nation’s leaders of being self-serving. doing one thing while the new anthem seems to be saying another thing.
“Our leaders are selfish and they are not working in people’s interests. We need to start a value reorientation and build a nation where no man is oppressed,” she said.
Olubode-Sawe emphasised that the national anthem should showcase hope, values, aspirations, culture, heritage and history of the people, and should give people a sense of patriotism, ensuring they know who they truly are.
“It is about the content, which should define people’s identity. This is why the anthem of the nation should be well respected because it showcases what everybody thinks about the country and is able to unify us,” she said.
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