Nigeria National Anthem
Nigeria, We Hail Thee
Key Facts
- 1. Both the words and the music came from open competitions launched in 1959: Lillian Jean Williams, a British official in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Welfare, won the contest for the words, and Frances Benda of London, the pen name of pianist and music teacher Mrs Charles Kernot, won the £1,000 music prize from 3,693 entries.
- 2. The anthem has been in force twice, from 1 October 1960 to 1978 and again from 29 May 2024.
- 3. The anthem it replaced in 2024, "Arise, O Compatriots", had lyrics stitched together from five winning entries in a national competition, which is why five lyricists are credited and no single author can be named.
- 4. The 2024 restoration was signed into law on 29 May, the anniversary of Nigeria's 1999 return to civilian rule and the first anniversary of Tinubu's presidency, and was criticised for reinstating a colonial-era text with little public consultation.
- 5. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, with more than 200 million people and over 250 ethnic groups, and the anthem is sung in English rather than in any of its indigenous languages.
Nigeria National Anthem Lyrics
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialNigeria sings a song it had already retired. "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was written in 1959 by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate living in the country, with music by Frances Benda, and it served as the national anthem from independence on 1 October 1960. In 1978 the military government replaced it with "Arise, O Compatriots", whose words were assembled from five entries in a national competition and set to music by Benedict Elide Odiase. That anthem, written by Nigerians, lasted forty-six years. On 29 May 2024 President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Act, restoring the 1960 text and melody. The bill passed through the National Assembly in less than a week and was defended as a return to a song of unity written at the moment of independence. Critics objected that a colonial-era text by a British author had been reinstated with little public consultation, that words such as "native land" and "tribes" are pejorative, and that the country faced more pressing concerns. The anthem is performed in English, Nigeria's official language, in a country with more than 250 ethnic groups.
Learn More
Sources & References
- National Symbols: the National Anthem . Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria
- Nigeria, We Hail Thee . en.wikipedia.org
Source & Review
- Source status
- Official source verified
- Translation
- AI-assisted working translation
- Rights status
- Third-party rights may apply
- Last reviewed
- Editorial review
- Pending
- Editorial owner
- Nationalia
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