President Bola Tinubu and members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) were heard reciting the old Nigerian national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” during a council meeting on Monday, despite the Federal Government’s official reinstatement of “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the country’s national anthem.
The development came to light through a video of the meeting that circulated widely on social media, showing the President and his ministers reciting the anthem that was replaced in May 2024.
President Tinubu had on May 29, 2024, signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law, restoring “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as Nigeria’s official national anthem and replacing “Arise, O Compatriots,” which had been in use since 1978.
The reintroduced anthem was originally adopted at Nigeria’s independence in 1960 before it was replaced in 1978.
The video has sparked questions over why the former anthem was used during the FEC meeting, given the official policy change.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not issued any statement explaining why the old national anthem was recited during the meeting.
