Kunle Adelabu
It is not surprising that mixed reactions have trailed the passage and signing of the bill reverting the country back to the old national anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’.
President Tinubu assented to the bill on Wednesday in commemoration of the first anniversary of his inauguration as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Following the signing, Nigerians have continued to react to the development with residents of Ikorodu Local Government of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, stating that changing from the existing national anthem, ‘Arise O Compatriot’, to the old one is not what the people are after, but other policies that will positively impact and touch the lives of average Nigerians who are facing economic challenges.
Residents expressed their views on various WhatsApp platforms and other social media handles related to Ikorodu.
Alhaji Fatai Adewale Gbadamosi, a community development chieftain and Chief Administrator, The People’s Forum, reacting, said that the government should focus on new minimum wage, situation with fuel and high cost of essential goods for average Nigerians.
“If only the speed with which this inanity is passed into law and assented to by Mr President, can be replicated in the negotiation for a new minimum wage and other issues that directly touch the lives of Nigerians, life will be a lot more meaningful for the ordinary Nigerians”, he said.
“We don’t need the old National Anthem, what we need is ……… We need old fuel, old diesel, old garri, old milk, old bread, and old cement prices…”, Alhaji Gbadamosi lamented.
A social media analyst, Mr Oluwadiasporas, also commenting, expressed suspicion over the speed that the bill was passed and assented to.
“The speed of the passage and the signing is suspicious”, he said.
“What exactly is happening? How will children like us learn this now? Does it even have a second stanza? What will we use now for national prayers?, he asked.
Dr Adeleke Dankuwo, a social media commentator and medical practitioner, while congratulating Nigerians and Mr President on the anniversary and the signing of the Bill into law, also charged the President and Nigerians on the need to act on the wordings of the anthem.
He also called for the need to address challenges facing Nigerians.
“Congratulations to all of us in Nigeria. Congratulations to our President. We must now continue to act the lyrics of the anthem”, he said.
“We must also not lose the sight of the real problems of Nigeria. Disunity, hunger, nepotism, power and food insecurity are the problems we must now concentrate on with all our energies.
“May God bless Nigeria”, he said.
Another commentator, Favoured4life, in his opposition to the current government and the new development, said:
“Yes ooo! This government has been awesome. Taking us backwards. E remain to go back to coins”.
Another resident, Mr Bamidele Uche, in his own comment, recalled with nostalgia, the usage of the new anthem as student activists in the 80s.
“The new anthem is revolutionary as I remember with nostalgia, whenever we were doing aluta on campus (in the mid – 1980s), we would opt to sing this old Anthem of ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee…’, instead of the now rested, ‘Arise O Compatriots….”, he said.
Mr Rasheed Kehinde Onabanjo, a resident of Igbogbo, also reacting to the news on THE IMPACT newspaper’s Facebook handle, said:
“Returned to old national anthem means nothing, the federal government should ask those who have being stolen Nigerian money to return them”.
Also reacting, Mrs Busayo Kolade, in her own reaction said:
“Sir, this is not (what) we want. We want you to return the cost of petroleum back to normal and let everything comes down so that we can enjoy the dividends of democracy, please sir. President Tinubu, we Nigerians are not smiling”
