In a statement on Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio criticized the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for distributing incorrect versions of the recently reintroduced old Nigerian National Anthem.
Akpabio pointed out several differences between the authorized version of the anthem approved by the Senate and the materials being circulated by the NOA.
“Where we have Nigerians ‘all’ are proud to say, they have Nigerians all and proud to say,” Akpabio noted. “Also, where we have ‘though’ tribes and tongues may differ, they have ‘those’ tribe and tongues.”
Additionally, Akpabio stated that the NOA’s version had “Nigeria ‘may’ be blessed” at the end, whereas the Senate-approved version uses the stronger wording of “Nigeria shall be blessed.”
“We are using ‘shall’, which is a compulsion that this country shall be blessed, so, tell the National Orientation Agency to drop what they are circulating now,” Akpabio demanded.
The senator urged the NOA to correct the educational materials to match the officially sanctioned version of the national anthem. Ensuring Nigerians are learning the proper lyrics is crucial as the country reintroduces the old anthem after years of using a different version.