On Wednesday, May 29, 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024, which replaced the old national anthem “Arise, O Compatriots” with “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.
Since 1978, the outgoing anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” has been sung at public functions.
The National Anthem Bill 2024 was passed by the House of Representatives last Thursday, May 23.
“Nigeria We Hail Thee” was reintroduced after it was adopted in 1960 as the first official national anthem.
It was written by Miss Lillian Jean Williams, a Briton, who was resident in Nigeria at the time of independence.
Following the change in Nigeria’s national anthem, below are seven other African countries that have changed their anthems:
1. Rwanda: In 2001, Rwanda introduced a new anthem, “Rwanda Nziza,” to promote national unity and reconciliation, following the 1994 genocide.
2. Zimbabwe: In 1994, Zimbabwe abandoned its “Ishe Komborera Africa” anthem and adopted “Simudzai Mureza wedu WeZimbabwe”.
The new anthem was inspired by the country’s aspiration to have a distinct national identity different from the pan-Africanist anthem adopted by many other countries.
3. South Africa: In 1997, South Africa changed its anthem to reflect the new democratic era post-apartheid.
The anthem was a combination of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” and “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika.”
4. Democratic Republic of Congo: “Arise Congolese” was adopted as a national anthem in 1960 after the Democratic Republic of Congo gained independence from Belgium.
In 1971, the anthem was changed to “La Zaïroise” when the country changed its name to Zaire. Similar to Nigeria, the country reverted to its first anthem following the overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko’s government in 1997.
5. Ghana: Ghana’s first national anthem, “God Bless Our Homeland” was adopted in 1957 during colonial administration. However, when the country became a Republic on July 1, 1960, it changed the anthem to “Lift High the Flag of Ghana.”
The four-stanza anthem was composed by Philip Gbeho, a Ghanaian musician and teacher.
6. Namibia: Before gaining independence from South Africa, “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” South Africa’s anthem was Namibia’s official national anthem.
However, “Namibia, Land of the Brave” was adopted after gaining independence to reflect national sovereignty and pride.
7. Libya: In his bid to unite Arab countries in Africa and Asia, Muammar Gaddafi replaced the country’s anthem “Libya Libya Libya” with “Allahu Akbar” in 1969.
However, in October 2011, following the Libyan civil war and Gaddafi’s death, “Libya, Libya, Libya” was re-adopted as the country’s new national anthem by the National Transitional Council.