Wednesday, October 09, 2024 - The Federal Government has called on Nigerians to seek formal approval before using the national anthem, to avoid potential misuse or misinterpretation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the
Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu,
emphasised the importance of obtaining permission from the agency before the
anthem or its lyrics are used.
“As custodians of Nigeria’s national
symbols, the NOA is tasked with preventing all forms of misuse. Permission must
be sought from the agency to avoid misrepresentation,” the statement read in
part.
Issa-Onilu revealed that sensitisation
campaigns would soon be held across the 36 states of the federation to provide
clarity on the agency’s new policies and guidelines.
The NOA boss also addressed the issue of the Nigerian flag,
stressing that its official colours remain green, white, and green, with the
specific shade of green being Emerald 2.0.w
policies and guidelines.
The DG lamented that past administrations
focused too heavily on infrastructure development while neglecting value
orientation, which led to the decline of social intervention structures like
the Boys’ Scouts, Girls’ Brigade, WAI Brigade, and even the National
Orientation Agency itself.
He credited President Bola Tinubu for
recognising this gap and supporting the revival of value-based initiatives.
The President signed into law a bill
re-adopting Nigeria’s old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” on the
first anniversary of his administration.
The anthem, originally written by Lillian
Jean Williams and composed by Frances Berda in 1959, was dropped by a military
government in 1978 but has now been restored.
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