Reactions Trail Reversal To Old National Anthem By Tinubu

Reactions have trailed the bill President Bola Tinubu signed into law on Wednesday morning.
With the new law, ‘Arise, O Compatriots’, composed by Pa Ben Odiase, will give way for ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, an anthem which was composed by a Briton, Lilian Jean William. It was used from 1960 till 1978.
While some persons are in support of the change, several others described it as glaring misplaced priority.
One of the persons who kicked against it is former Minister of Education who vowed to continue singing the repealed one as anthem.
Also, former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, who is now a supporter of Tinubu, questioned the rationality behind the action.
“My heart is very heavy about Nigeria right now because, in my opinion, we just took a giant step backwards in our national journey. Now, do not get me wrong, I support the current economic policies of my country. Fuel subsidy removal and Naira flotation are necessary policies that any lover of Nigeria should adhere to regardless of party affiliation.
“One of the most unnecessary acts of governance in Nigeria in recent times is the law returning the old National Anthem. First of all, there was nothing wrong with the existing anthem. Secondly, with all of the multifaceted issues we face, it seems like we have a lack of priorities, when we major on such a settled issue as an anthem.
“To me, it looks like a step backwards to discard the ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ National Anthem written by a collective of young Nigerians, including John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B. A. Ogunnaike, Sota Omoigui and P. O. Aderibigbe in 1978, for ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, written by an English woman, Lillian Jean Williams.”
Below are other comments:
“Besides SUBSIDY IS GONE, our National Anthem is gone too.”
“I have not finished thinking of the important pertinent things it is to sing the anthem. How does the anthem help the common man on the street? How does it help people that can barely afford a meal a day? How does this improve the life of the common man?”
“Can this government take fuel prices back to the old price too.”
“This is outrageous! With all the pressing issues like hunger, poverty and insecurity, reintroducing the old national anthem is a waste of time and resources. Our leaders are clearly out of touch with the real needs of the Nigerian people.”
“An interesting anthem, great lyrics, but unfortunately a lie.”