In 2022, President Bola Tinubu promised to take Nigeria back to using the old national anthem.
In an interview that dates back to October 2022, Tinubu expressed his desire to revert Nigeria to using the old national anthem.
Arguing that “we should be proud of our going back,” Tinubu noted that the old national anthem “described us better.”
In the clips of the interview making the rounds on social media, the Nigerian leader mentioned that he is oblivious to why the old anthem written by Lillian Jean Williams was changed.
“We are one Nigeria, and we should be proud of our going back,” he said in the interview.
“In fact, if I have my way, I’ll bring back our first national anthem. That described us better. I don’t know why we changed it.
“It is about service; it is about diversity; it is about commitment, value, and nation-building,” he added.
Tinubu on Wednesday assented to the 2024 National Anthem Bill, which reverted Nigeria to using the old national anthem.
The reversion to the old anthem has attracted criticism from Nigerians, with many calling the move retrogressive.