NAL: New Anthem Should Unite, Not Divide

Funmi Ogundare

The National Academy of Letters (NAL), yesterday, expressed regret that the National Assembly didn’t act in the best interests of the people by quickly passing the new national anthem bill into law.

The NAL is concerned that the new anthem emphasises differences rather than uniting the populace and fostering national identity and shared values.
The Academy made this call during its virtual roundtable on Nigeria’s national anthem titled, ‘ What is in an Anthem’.

Professor of Applied Linguistic and Terminology, The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Funmilayo Olubode-Sawe, regretted that the people we call leaders are only self-serving and doing one thing while the new anthem seems to be saying another thing.
According to her, “Our leaders are selfish and they are not working in the interest of the people. We need to start a value reorientation and build a nation where no man is oppressed.”

Professor of Applied Communication, University of Ibadan, Ayo Ojebode, stated that changing the anthem shouldn’t have been our priority and what matters is how people are able to define and refine themselves and the extent of the values they pursue, rather than the lyrics as important as it may be .
“It is important that our nation evolve a sense of value and identity and oneness before changing anthems.”

Professor of Philosophy, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Akwa, Anambra State,  Maduabuchi Dukor, stated that the country is no longer in the post colonial era and the anthem should go beyond symbolism, but has to be the reality and  ideal of the people .

“Being Africans, we value the past, present and the future. The new national anthem has to be the collective consciousness of the people and be patriotic. It must be an inspirational mantra that will define our ideal in this millennial information age,” he said.

Professor of Theatre Arts, University of Abuja, Mabel Evwierhoma, stated that the feeling of pride that an anthem generates, cannot be overemphasised, while expressing concern that the 1978 anthem was composed by someone who does not know much about the country.

“We have seen a generation gap and we know that Nigerians deserve better in terms of governance,” she said, arguing that Nigerians have diverse opinions about the anthem.

“Some say it does not address hunger while others say it is a beef between tribes. The new national anthem should reflect the consciousness of the people.

Professor of African Philosophy and Bioethics, Olabisi Onabanjo University ( OOU), Ebun Oduwole stated, “A national anthem should showcase value, aspirations, hope, culture, heritage and history of the people and should be such that will make people have a sense of patriotism and ensure that they are aware of who they truly are.

“It is about the content which should define people’s identity. This is why the anthem of the nation should be well respected because it showcases what everybody thinks about the country and is able to unify us.”