Reno Omokri has described the reversion to the old national anthem as the “most unnecessary act of governance” by the Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Omokri’s remarks come on the heels of the signing into law of the 2024 National Anthem Bill by Tinubu.
Chronicle NG reports that Tinubu assented the bill, which returned Nigeria to using the old “Nigeria, we hail thee” anthem written by Lilian Jean Williams in 1960, replacing the “Arise o’ Compatriots” anthem.
Reacting to the news, Omokri, a former aide to former president Goodluck Jonathan, lamented that Nigeria has other pressing needs that require urgent attention from the president and the National Assembly.
Saying the move is “a giant step backwards in our national journey,” Omokri argued that “there was nothing wrong with the existing anthem.”
Arguing that it is not done anywhere, Omokri lamented that it “sounds preposterous” that a foreigner would compose the national anthem for a country.
Omokri, who hoped Nigeria would eradicate every remaining atom of colonialism from the country, decried that “we are rather doubling down on another colonial relic by discarding the anthem written by our own citizens for one written by a foreigner.”
Omokri, however, urged Tinubu to do the needful by jettisoning the idea of reverting to the old anthem and “promoting indigenous ideas over imperialistic ones.”
Omokri’s statement reads, “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.
“Does it not sound preposterous that a foreigner should write our national anthem? Are we that shallow and uninspired that we cannot come up with our own indigenous anthem? You can imagine the land of such music icons, like Fela Kuti, Osita Osadebe, Dan Maraya Jos, and contemporary stars, like Sade Adu, Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid, importing music of national significance from Britain. As my Yoruba brethren will say, ‘O wrong now!’
“Already, the name Nigeria was given to us by another English lady, Flora Shaw. And she named us in 1897 in much the same way you name a dog. She did it tongue-in-cheek for an article she wrote for The Times of London.
“We ought to have even changed that name to something indigenous, such as the Republic of Wazobia, as Ghana did in 1957 when she changed from Gold Coast to Ghana at Independence.
“We should also have reverted to the original name for Lagos, Eko. Lagos is an imposed Portuguese name. The annoying thing is that the Portuguese who renamed Eko Lagos were just opportunistic slave traders who did not set up any viable administrative structure.
“Instead of undertaking these name changes, we are rather doubling down on another colonial relic by discarding the anthem written by our own citizens for one written by a foreigner.
“I dare anyone reading this to name another country whose national anthem was written by a foreigner. Even a banana republic would not do that!
“In my humble opinion, President Tinubu ought not to have assented to that bill. Instead, he should have written a strongly worded letter to communicate to the o the implications on our sovereignty and national psyche of reverting to an anthem written by a foreigner, which would make us a free nation that willingly chose to return to the yoke of imperialism.
“Is it too late for the President to do what he ought to have done? No. He is our Head of State and has a duty to promote indigenous ideas over imperialistic ones.”
