Chris Bolsmann

Jun 19, 2024 | africasacountry.com | Chris Bolsmann

Call me naive, but May 29 was the first time I learned of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s decision to reinstate the Nigerian national anthem originally introduced in 1960, coinciding with the country’s independence from Britain. This move replaced the military-introduced anthem. In my opinion, both colonial and military national anthems are contentious. “Nigeria We Hail Thee” was composed in 1959 by British expatriate Lillian Jean Williams, with music by Frances Berda.

Jun 18, 2024 | africasacountry.com | Chris Bolsmann |Elliot Ross

“Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” which has replaced the more recent “Arise, O Compatriots” as Nigeria’s national anthem, was written in the early years of Nigerian independence in 1960 and abolished in 1978. Perhaps changing the national anthem is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s way of ridding the country of the marks of military rule, as one who fought against the military as part of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).