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The “Arise O Compatriots” national anthem is 46-years-old, but instead of commissioning a new one, city boy Jagaban had the not-so-grand idea of reverting to one that dates back to 1960.
In the rare event that the FG decides to give us an entirely new national anthem in the future, Portable should write it. Before you roll your eyes, here’s why.
First, it’ll be easy to dance to
Since we’ve all agreed most Nigerians don’t care about lyrics, doesn’t it make sense to have a danceable anthem? We don’t know about you, but Omo Lalomi knows how to get people’s groove on.
And it’ll motivate you
The other half of Nigerians who pay attention to lyrics know that Portable really be spitting some aspire to maguire shit. I don’t know about you, but I’ll sing the shit out of “Who go help you no go stress you”.
Might scare the shit outta your opps
“Kala, Daju, Ma, Rerin Wuwa Ika” doesn’t sound like what’ll give your opps the balls to cross you. And to be frank, what’s a national anthem that cannot offer lirru protection?
Have you heard his voice?
Agreed it might not be the best thing after soft agege bread, but even though! The grating effect of the Portable+autotune combo is all you need to stay alert. Always stay guiding, yunno.
Nigeria will finally blow
As a country, I don’t think we’ve had our proper blow era. Afrobeats has done its part in putting us on the map, but we just might need that Portable-type “everywhereness” to get the full attention of the world.
Who knows? Maybe a Grammy nod
Never say never because if there’s one thing about Portable, he has shocked everybody with his wins post Zazu blowup.
We’re back to the basics with our Nigerian national anthem. The “Arise O compatriots” era which started in 1978 has come to an end as of today, May 29, 2024. The newly approved national anthem is the first anthem ever adopted after independence “Nigeria We Hail Thee”.
It was written by Lillian Jean while the music was composed by Frances Berda in 1959. Nigeria used this anthem for 18 years (1950-1978) before adopting “Arise O compatriots”, and now we’re back to it.
Lyrics of ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’
Nigeria, we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood, we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honour’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.
Unlike the anthem we’re used to, this one seems shorter, and we can bet that the students in schools are already learning the new anthem. You should get on board too.
If you’re a Nigerian reading this, then the National Anthem is not news to you. You must have probably heard it in school growing up, on television, or at public events.
But do you know who made it? Do you know about everyone involved?
Benedict Odiase
Odiase is widely credited for being “the man behind” Nigeria’s national anthem.
The anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” was originally written as a poem by five different writers, and it was Odiase who was tasked with putting the poem to music. He did this by creating a melody that would capture the patriotic and aspirational spirit of the poem.
Before we go into what makes this anthem unique, especially with the words reflected, there are four things you should know about the Odiase, the composer.
He was born duringthe colonial era
Odiase was born in Edo State during the British colonial era on August 25, 1934.
He was a police officer
Odiase served in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from 1954 to 1992 and was also the Music Director of the Nigerian Police Band and the Mid-West State Police Band.
He directed Nigeria’s current national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” in 1978
In 1978, Nigeria’s former national anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee”, was changed to “Arise, O Compatriots,” under the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo. The former anthem was changed to promote national ownership, as the composer of the previous anthem was a British expatriate.
The lyrics of the anthem were taken from five of the best entries in a national contest.
The winners were P. O. Aderibigbe, John A. Ilechukwu, Dr. Sota Omoigui, Eme Etim Akpan, and B.A. Ogunnaike.
What Are the Details About These Men?
P. O. Aderibigbe was a Nigerian lawyer and poet. He was born in 1933 in Ibadan, Nigeria. He attended the University of Ibadan, where he studied law. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer in Lagos. He was also a member of the Nigerian National Anthem Committee, which was responsible for selecting the winning poem for the national anthem. Aderibigbe died in 2010.
John A. Ilechukwu was a Nigerian journalist and poet. He was born in 1937 in Nsukka, Nigeria. He attended the University of Ibadan, where he studied English. After graduating, he worked as a journalist for the Daily Times of Nigeria. He was also a member of the Nigerian National Anthem Committee. Ilechukwu died in 2012.
Dr. Sota Omoigui was a Nigerian physician and poet. He was born in 1936 in Benin City, Nigeria. He attended the University of Ibadan, where he studied medicine. After graduating, he worked as a physician in Lagos. He was also a member of the Nigerian National Anthem Committee. Omoigui died in 2017.
Eme Etim Akpan was a Nigerian lawyer and poet. He was born in 1938 in Calabar, Nigeria. He attended the University of Ibadan, where he studied law. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer in Lagos. He was also a member of the Nigerian National Anthem Committee. Akpan died in 2019.
B. A. Ogunnaike was a Nigerian engineer and poet. He was born in 1938 in Ibadan, Nigeria. He attended the University of Ibadan, where he studied engineering. After graduating, he worked as an engineer in Lagos. He was also a member of the Nigerian National Anthem Committee. Ogunnaike died in 2014.
Odiase, the composer, passed away in 2013, aged 78.
Before his death, Odiase was a national award winner. In 2001, he received the Order of the Niger Award for his composition of the National Anthem.
Odiase got the National Anthem copyrighted
Odiase still earns royalties from the National Anthem since he copyrighted it through the Musical Copyrights Society of Nigeria (MCSN).
It’s worth mentioning that his family previously filed a lawsuit against MTN Nigeria in October 2013, seeking N1.5 billion in damages for unauthorised use of the National Anthem as a ringback tone.
MTN, in response, attributed the mistake to their content providers and asserted that they should not be held responsible.
A Brief Rundown of What the National Anthem Means
Let’s start with the first four lines:
Military recruitment and patriotic values
Arise, O Compatriots,
Nigeria’s call obey,
To serve thy Fatherland,
With love and strength and faith
In the third line, “to serve thy fatherland” refers to Nigerian military recruitment. It means that Nigerians should be ready to defend the country when necessary.
The three principles of love, strength, and faith are the virtues every patriotic Nigerian must have for the country. Love for the fatherland, strength to make it past economic hard times, and faith that Nigeria can overcome every obstacle it faces.
The fight for independence and democracy
The labour of our heroes past,
shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might,
One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity
“The labour of our heroes past” refers to the wars that our forefathers and national heroes fought for the nation.
These include the battles against British colonial masters and the fight for national independence and democracy with the likes of Sir Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, MKO Abiola, etc.
The National Prayer
The second stanza of the National Anthem is often referred to as “The National Prayer”, as it contains prayers for the country. It reads:
Oh God of creation,
Direct our noble cause,
Guide thou our leaders right
Help our youth the truth to know,
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true,
Great lofty heights attain,
To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.
The first line of the anthem is suggestive of Nigeria’s religious sentiments. Christianity and Islam are the most dominant faiths in the country, with 50% of Nigeria’s population being Muslim and 40% being Christian.
Both share a common denominator in their belief in a supreme being, i.e., God.
The second, third, and fourth lines are a plea to God to help Nigeria with three things—direct the affairs of the nation, help our leaders make the right decisions, and give understanding to the youth.
The fifth and sixth lines are a continuation of the prayer to God, the future of the country should mature with love and honesty, guided by truth.
The last line is a call for national peace from conflicts and wars and a nation where legal justice is met in cases of wrongdoing.
We have a lovely anthem, but please, it’s almost 50 years old. This is the 21st century; we need to keep up with the times. And frankly, an Afrobeats anthem is what the nation needs at this time.
Have you heard his voice?
His voice is so good, we need to immortalise it by using it to remake our anthem.
His lyrics are fire
With a little Afrobeats and Oxlade touch, you can put the national anthem to better use to ask your partner out. Imagine picking someone up with “My compatriots don dey rise for you”. You’ll get married that night.
You can show your patriotism in the club
Imagine your national anthem being such a bop that it can make the energy go up in the club. You’ll be singing “the labour of our heroes past” while getting turnt with a bottle of Azul in hand.
It might have a shot at a Grammy
Nigerian music is stealing awards everywhere. Who’s to say we won’t win a Grammy if Oxlade rewrites this anthem for us? Think about the bragging rights we’ll have.
Nigeria would probably make more money
Don’t you want Ku Lo Sa-level streams for Nigeria? Imagine all the streaming money that’ll roll into our economy once he rewrites the national anthem. Nigeria could the use extra revenue right now, and if it means it’ll have to have a national music career, why not?
He’s already repping Nigeria anyway
He showed up for a show in Sierra Leone, and the whole place erupted like he was the president. Give this man an ambassadorship already.
