Former Education Minister Obiageli Ezekwesili has vowed to keep reciting the “Arise o Compatriots” National Anthem and defy the new law on the reintroduction of Nigeria’s old national anthem. She described the change as “obnoxious”
The reintroduced anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” replaces the current “Arise, O Compatriots,” which has been in use since 1978. The bill for this change was swiftly passed by the House of Representatives on May 23 and by the Senate during a public hearing on Tuesday.
The bill, sponsored by lawmaker Julius Ihonvbere, was argued on the grounds of fostering patriotism and nationalism among Nigerians. On Wednesday morning, President Bola Tinubu signed the bill into law, marking his entry into the green chamber to the tune of the reintroduced anthem.
Ezekwesili has criticized the law as repugnant and declared her intention to continue singing the current anthem. “Let it be known to all and sundry that I, Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, will whenever asked to sing the Nigerian National Anthem sing: ‘Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey,’” she stated.
She further emphasized her right to dissent, calling the law obnoxious and against good conscience. “This is my own National Anthem and let it be known that no one can suppress my right to dissent an obnoxious ‘law’ that is repugnant to all that is of good conscience in Nigeria. Whatever else is #NotMyNationalAnthem.”
In defense of the change, President Tinubu stated that the reintroduced anthem reflects Nigeria’s diversity and unity. However, critics like former Senator Shehu Sani have argued that the change should have involved broader consultations with Nigerians to avoid perceptions of an imposed dissolution of national identity.
