President Bola Tinubu has stood by his administration’s decision to reinstate the old national anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, highlighting it as a key priority.
During a meeting with the Arewa Consultative Forum at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu addressed the backlash, asserting that reintroducing the old anthem is a legitimate priority, despite claims to the contrary.
The President sparked controversy by signing a bill to bring back the former national anthem, igniting widespread debate.
“Let me allude to something that happened yesterday. The change of national anthem, ‘Nigeria, we hail thee’.
“Some people say is that your priority? It’s my priority. I agree with the National Assembly. If they make law, I’ve got to obey that law, or we disagree openly and close the chapter.
“But the question of diversity. Who gave us the name Nigeria? Is it not Britain? Or somewhere? Have we changed our name? We are Nigerians. Our passport shows that.
“As long as we are Nigerians and one family, we remain and protect our diversity and love one another as brothers and sisters,” the president said.
The move has elicited widespread outrage among Nigerians, who criticized it as a misplaced priority given the country’s dire economic situation. Many pointed to Tinubu’s policies of fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira, which have exacerbated economic hardship.
