I grew up to meet the current national anthem that the Nation of Nigeria sings. It goes like this;
“Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labor of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom, peace, and unity.”
Image by natanaelginting on Freepik
While this national anthem is being sung by a lot of Nigerians as the accepted anthem of the nation, I learned in my history class that there was an anthem before this and when I decided to listen to that anthem, I must confess I preferred it far more to the one we currently sing. It goes like this;
”Nigeria we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood, we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honor’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.”
In my opinion, this anthem isn't just more mature but also portrays the true definition of what it means to be Nigerian. The last standard of this anthem got me so much looking at what we are facing in our nation, wouldn't it be nice if we always sang this anthem and ended with a prayer to build our nation…
Image by www.slon.pics on Freepik
Perhaps our leaders would not want to be reminded of the responsibility to build the nation. That is why they will continue to stick with the current national anthem, I want a Nigeria where every citizen will see its reverence in everything they do, see and touch.
Imagine singing the old national anthem in a competition, remembering that your actions, and result is all part of the nation-building. At that point, your heart would be made of stone if you did not break down in tears while singing the national anthem.
It's no News that the labor of our hero's past has all gone to waste seeing the current state of the nation, it's no News that there is no longer a zeal to serve the nation because the nation has not served its people in a very long while. But if we should go back to the first anthem that talks about our struggles, our strive, and our hope for a better and unified nation, I think it will go a long way in appealing to the hearts and minds of our fellow Nigerian brothers and sister to come together as one and fight for a nation that we can believe in and be safe with
It's not that I hate the new national anthem, I just think that it's all made up of unserious words that nobody believes anymore. I mean what is there to arise for when our hope has been dashed into pieces several times than we can imagine, why Should we obey the call of the nation, why should we serve our fatherland when all we have gotten from it is pain and suffering? It's clear that our government no longer regards the labor of the heroes of the past, so why call ourselves one nation when we are divided. I would rather sing a song of hope than sing a lie in the name of an anthem.
You can listen to both songs through the YouTube links below…
