Michael Taiwo Akinkumi was studying in Britain in 1958, when he heard about a competition to design the new Nigerian flag. He submitted the design below to the committee. The committee chose his design as the winning entry, but removed the sun at the centre of the flag. Thus we got our green-white-green flag.
The Flag of Nigeria was designed in 1959 and first officially hoisted on October 1, 1960. The two unique sea-green bands represent the forests and abundant natural wealth of Nigeria while the white band represents peace.
The Coat of Arms of Nigeria has a black shield with two wavy silver bands that come together, like the letter Y. These represent the two main rivers flowing through Nigeria: the Benue River and the Niger River, Nigeria’s main inland waterways, which form a confluence at Lokoja.
The black shield represents Nigeria’s fertile soil, while the two horses or chargers on each side represent dignity and pride. The eagle represents strength, while the green and white bands on the top of the shield represent the rich agricultural land of the inspiring country.
The yellow flowers at the base are Costus Spectabilis, Nigeria’s national flower. This flower was chosen for inclusion in the coat of arms as it is found all over Nigeria. On the band around the base is Nigeria’s national motto since 1978, “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”, formerly “Unity and Faith”.
"Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was adopted as Nigeria's first national anthem on October 1, 1960. The anthem's lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria when it achieved independence. Frances Berda composed the music for "Nigeria, We Hail Thee." The Federal Government had announced a competition for a new national anthem for Nigeria, with a prize of £1,000 attached to it. The prize was won by Lillian Jean Williams.
The anthem was criticised in 1960 because some Nigerians felt that the government should have selected one of the entries that was submitted by Nigerians. Some people also believed that the anthem was plagiarised from an old English hymn, while others felt that the anthem did not capture the Nigerian spirit.
Nigeria We Hail Thee
Nigeria we hail thee, Our own dear native land, Though tribe and tongue may differ, In brotherhood we stand, Nigerians all, are proud to serve Our sovereign Motherland.
Our flag shall be a symbol That truth and justice reign, In peace or battle honour'd, And this we count as gain, To hand on to our children A banner without stain.
O God of all creation, Grant this our one request, Help us to build a nation Where no man is oppressed, And so with peace and plenty Nigeria may be blessed.
“Arise O Compatriots” was adopted as Nigeria's national anthem on October 1, 1978. The lyrics are a combination of words and phrases taken from five of the best entries in a national contest. The lyrics are by John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B. A. Ogunnaike, Sota Omoigui and P. O. Aderibigbe. The words were put to music by the Nigerian Police Band under the directorship of Benedict E. Odiase.
The anthem was criticised by some Nigerians because it was composed when the country was under military rule (some people said that it sounded like military music). The National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS), therefore, prefers to sing the old national anthem.
Arise O Compatriots
Arise, O compatriots Nigeria's call obey To serve our fatherland With love and strength and faith. The labour of our heroes past Shall never be in vain, To serve with heart and might One nation bound in freedom Peace and unity.
Oh God of creation, Direct our noble cause Guide thou our leaders right Help our youth the truth to know In love and honesty to grow And living just and true Great lofty heights attain To build a nation where peace And justice shall reign
The Nigerian National Pledge was written by Professor (Mrs.) Felicia Adebola Adedoyin in 1976.
Professor Adedoyin’s children were already reciting the Oath of Allegiance in their school in New York, USA and also the State Pledge (which was introduced on 1 June, 1976) in Achimota School in Accra Ghana and they wanted to know why they didn't recite any Pledge while they were in Nigeria. She told them that Nigeria did not have any national pledge. This exchange with her children spurred her to conceive a new national pledge for Nigeria, which she wrote in June 1976. The work was published in the Daily Times of July 15, 1976 in an article titled "Loyalty to the Nation, Pledge".
Barrister Adewusi, who was a mutual friend of the Adedoyins and Lieutenant General Olusegun Obasanjo (the then head of state) read the Daily Times article and eventually presented it to Obasanjo in August 1976. General Obasanjo modified it slightly and adopted it.
In September 1976, he decreed that all school children should recite the pledge in their school assemblies daily.
The Pledge
I pledge to Nigeria my country, To be faithful, loyal and honest. To serve Nigeria with all my strength, To defend her unity and uphold her honour and glory, So help me God.
I said that the flag is the presidential standard. That is, it is the flag of the president of Nigeria. How then does that mean that the Keke is presidential? Abi people do not understand English anymore?
If I fly the Lagos State flag over my house, does that make me the governor of Lagos??
Or maybe you don't understand what a presidential standard is?
This insane hoax about a Michelle Obama and a fictional Sudanese man who looks exactly like Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangot (in fact, that's actually Dangote's picture) has totally confused some Americans and produced hilarious results.
Sasha and Malia Obama’s Biological Father Suing Michelle for $40 Million
M’nakta N’tadaku Johnson, of the Sudanese Johnsons, has announced that he’s suing the Obama family for $40 million for “excluding him from the lives of his children under Musammical law.” His lawsuit states that as the only known biological parent of the two girls, he is entitled to compensation for being withheld from their lives.
The suit comes just after Sasha turned 18, assuring that the case would be heard in a federal court in Sudan rather than a probate court in Washington, DC. According to Johnson’s attorney, Art Tubolls:
“Mr. Johnson will be happy to meet the Obamas at the 304th US District Court at the Embassy in Sudan. We have filed to be heard on one of the four days of the month the court is in session to decide US-based matters. The Obamas can either take a nice trip to Africa or they can pay the settlement amount of $40 million. It’s their choice.”
The suit claims that Michael Bruchette Parsons McGillicuddy, who would eventually become “Michelle Robbins,” paid M’nakta to impregnate one of his wives and then give the babies to him. After the surgery, “Michelle” was supposed to send for all of them, but she only sent for the girls, refusing to acknowledge that M’natka Johnson was even a real person at all.
In fact, he is real. He is an artist and a playwriter. He sings with the local Musselman choir and hardly ever jihads. Being happily married, he doesn’t crave the neverending chocolate fountain that comes with 72 virgins in paradise. Now, after being tossed aside like a figment of someone’s imagination, he’s coming forward…with proof.
Not only does he claim to possess the paternal DNA of the girls, but he also claims to be bringing their biological mother. “Either they can pay up and have a nice meetup with their birth parents,” said Tubolls, “or they can pay up and have an attitude about it. I get 30 percent either way.”
Lawyers. They can be so matter-of-fact. One thing they are not is dumb. Tubolls is well-known to be the guy who put Michael Keaton on the Hollywood blacklist for all those years, and all he did was refuse to be Batman. Tragic? Yes. But not like this. The Obamas will pay — and the world will know the truth.
Now, since you now know that there is such a thing as radio/TV license, my advice is that you should investigate that notice to find out if it is genuine. 30,000 naira is a very high rate.
Local governments know that this is one of the few ways that they can get money from citizens and local government officials also know this, so you have to investigate and find out if this is the real rate or whether a local government official is trying to extort money from you.
Xisnin: Laws are made for men, not men for the law. We also inherited the parliamentary and regional government from the Brits? Where are those systems today?
It began in the UK because the BBC was not authorised to carry advertisements and they did not want the government to fund it directly. Therefore, people had to get a license to own a radio or TV set.
We inherited it from the British and it has been in our constitution since then, despite the fact that the NTA and Radio Nigeria are allowed to carry advertisements.
It's not a law by the local government or by Buhari. It's in the constitution. In fact, in Lagos, they've started collecting license fees for car radios.
The only way to remove that provision is by a constitutional amendment
great664: That's for having Radio/Television in my business place?
Yes.
It began in the UK because the BBC was not authorised to carry advertisements and they did not want the government to fund it directly. Therefore, people had to get a license to own a radio or TV set.
We inherited it from the British and it has been in our constitution since then, despite the fact that the NTA and Radio Nigeria are allowed to carry advertisements.
It's not a law by the local government or by Buhari. It's in the constitution. In fact, in Lagos, they've started collecting license fees for car radios.
The only way to remove that provision is by a constitutional amendment
Xisnin: Britain tax its citizens to operate public radio and cable such as the BBC.
Most Nigerians however only use private channels so this tax is inappropriate.
There were no private channels when we inherited the tax from the British (that provision has been in every constitution since 1960 and private broadcasting was only legalised in 1993).
great664: So my manager called me this morning that Revenue in Jos, Plateau State came to demand Tax for having TV and Radio in my shop (mind you, it's strictly for entertainment only)...
I have paid normal shop/office revenue and also Banner revenue...
What is Radio and Television Revenue?
Help us because this state won't stop milking business owners.
Check the demand notice attached.
According to the constitution local governments are responsible for collecting radio and television license fees. We inherited this practice from the British.
anonimi: Thanks for covering almost all that needs to be said. I hope that you don't mind me using the contents from time to time, without your mention to not keep "disturbing" you frequently.
lexy2014: Are u under any obligation to post d achievements of Jakande? I don't think so. But all d same, u did. D point was that u said a guy who served Lagos for 5years (as far back as 1983)tried in d area of human capital development that u had a whole post about him. U now said two gentlemen who served 16years tried to copy him. D question I asked is what is d result of d copy? There's no controversy there. All d best
I made the post about Jakande in 2014 in response to a debate that was held in my presence the previous Sunday and the post contained the arguments of the people that were debating.
I referred to that post because it also contains information about Governor Johnson, who passed away today.
I can choose to post that debate and also choose to post nothing about Tinubu and Fashola. I have that choice because it's a free country.
If you want to know about Tinubu and Fashola's millenium schools, then you'll have to find out for yourself. Google is still free.
Now, this thread is about Governor Johnson, not about Jakande, Tinubu or Fashola. I do not intend to continue with this conversation because it violates rule 1 and it's derailing the thread.
lexy2014: Can u pls show me where I said that u wrote that they achieved those things? Also if u say that they "tried to", are there no results of d trials? That was d first question I asked u. U said Jakande, Tinubu and Fashola all "tried to", but u were able to attribute ur entire posts to Jakandes efforts with regards to human capital development. As far asTinubu and Fashola who u said also "tried to", u aren't able to muster anything. So u aren't really doing them any favours. That has nothing to do with any issues I have with them or not
Why would I be trying to do Tinubu or Fashola any favours??
I referred to Jakande because the post was about Jakande. All the other governors were only mentioned in passing and I'm under no obligation to post their achievements!
lexy2014: Of course, it was about ur post cos u attributed certain achievements to them. As a Nigerian, there's nothing wrong in x-raying how past political holders served d nation. And if u say that Tinubu, fashola and whosoever did certain things, then u should b able to support that information with d results they achieved. That u weren't able to do.
No it's not about my post because my post was quite clear. I said that Governor Jakande tried to achieve something and that Tinubu and Fashola tried to copy them. I did not say that they succeeded or did not succeed.
Just like in my post about Jakande, I left it up to the reader to decide whether they did achieve those things or not. You understood that when I referred to Jakande, so how come you did not understand it when I referred to Tinubu and Fashola?
That's because your issue is not with my post but with those two men.
You even went further to say that I wrote that they achieved those things. Where did I say that in my post?
naptu2: Human capital development. I think that's what Governor Jakande tried to achieve with his education policy and what Governors Tinubu and Fashola tried to copy with their Millenium Schools policy.
lexy2014: I don't have any ambivalence about Jakande and about what he did in Lagos. But when u say that he "tried to achieve" (in d same bracket as Tinubu& Fashola who u say also "tried to achieve" when he actually did, is a disservice. Jakande didn't serve Lagos up to 5years and didn't have d resources that both Tinubu and Fashola who u said "tried to copy with their Millenium Schools policy." Where's d result of d copy?
Ooohh! Now I see. Your issue wasn't really about my post. You have an issue with Tinubu and Fashola.
naptu2: Human capital development. I think that's what Governor Jakande tried to achieve with his education policy and what Governors Tinubu and Fashola tried to copy with their Millenium Schools policy.
Raji Rasaki (Adiyan Waterworks, completion of 3rd Mainland Bridge [Babangida ordered his secretary not to allow Rasaki into his office again, because Rasaki was always disturbing him about the 3rd Mainland Bridge], Lagos Horizon Newspaper, Opebi-Oregun Link Bridge, etc)
Mohammed Buba Marwa - Eko FM, LASUTH, Direct Labour Agency [which patched the roads that were left in a state of disrepair by Mr. No Bitumen ], Marwa Gardens, Eko FM, Operation Sweep
Bola Tinubu (Lasambus, BRT, Kai, Office of The Public Defender, Lagos Emergency Points, Millenium Schools, Lasuth, LASTMA, reconstruction of roads that were left in a state of disrepair by Mr. No Bitumen and patched by Governor Marwa, etc).
Raji Fashola (Okota-Itire Link Bridge, Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, Lasu-Iba Road, Lasmi Cabs, Traffic Radio, LRT, Lagos HOMS, expension and modernisation of the Lekki Expressway, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, etc)
Governors Otedola, Akhigbe (Ikeja flyovers), Mudashiru (rehabilitation of Jakande schools), Kanu, Lawal and Ukiwe also did well. I won't rate them as the best, but I'll say they did very well.
The lone exception is Colonel Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Mr. No Bitumen) who did absolutely nothing. He sat and watched as Lagos roads became filled with ginormous craters, hills and valleys. Awolowo Road was an eyesore at this time.
However, if you tell some people that Governor Johnson did a lot, they will direct your attention to Eko Court and the armed robbery edict. If you tell them that Governor Rasaki was an action governor, they will remind you of Maroko and Ilado. If you tell them that Marwa was very popular, they will tell you that he served Abacha, that Operation Sweep killed many innocent people and they will ask you where he got the money with which he started his airline (some will even tell you that he was one of the people that delivered the parcel bomb to Dele Giwa's house and they will also remind you about Bagauda Kaltho's death). If you tell them that Tinubu transformed Lagos from the huge refuse dumps and bad roads of the 1990s to a clean place with smooth roads, they will tell you that Tinubu owns the whole of Lagos. If you tell them that Fashola brought back sanity to Oshodi and continued the progress started by Tinubu, they will tell you that Fashola is elitist.
But the argument that I find most fascinating and which was revived upper Sunday, is the debate about the tenure of Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ).
I believe that Baba Kekere is one of the best governors that Lagos has ever had (you'll see why in a minute), but I also acknowledge his flaws. However, it's very difficult for most people to assess him objectively. They either love him dearly or hate him passionately.
LKJ implemented the progressive/welfarist manifesto of the UPN to the letter. The LSTC was still running at the time that Jakande was governor and he converted some of the LSTC buses (including some of the air conditioned buses) into Scholars Bus, buses that were specifically designated to convey primary and secondary school children to and from school for free.
He utilised the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) to build low cost houses/flats, which low and medium income people could buy via a mortgage scheme (they paid back in instalments over a 10-25 year period).
Jakande endeared himself to the people by using his private car, a Toyota Crown (or was it a Cressida?) as his official car, rather than one of the long wheel base mercedes limousines that were common at the time. (He used that same car as his official car when he became Minister of Works in the Abacha Government, but his motorcade looked funny to me because the official Peugoet 505 Evolution that was meant to be his official car was often driven behind the Toyota).
Governor Jakande revived the Lagos Metroline plan which had been abandoned by the previous military government. The system had been originally planned by United Nations experts that were advising the Federal Government in the 1960s, but successive governments were not serious about it. Governor Jakande was very serious about it and the right of way had already been demarcated by the time he was removed from office.
He established the Lagos Television (LTV), the only state tv station (the previous state and regional tv stations had been taken over by the Federal Military Government in the mid-1970s). The NPN controlled Federal Government quickly established a youth oriented tv station on the exact same frequency (NTA2 Channel 5) and LTV was eventually forced to move to Channel 8 (it was forced to move again in the 1990s, when the Federal Government reserved the VHF frequency band for only Federal Government owned stations. It eventually settled on Channel 35).
He also established Lasu, a multi-campus university that was modelled after the University of California multi-campus system.
But, the most controversial policy of the government (and the policy that was the subject of Sunday's debate) was the education policy.
The Federal Military Government had taken over private primary and secondary schools in the 1970s. Part of the reason for the take over was the fear that most of these schools were, in one way or another, controlled by foreign organisations and people, such as foreign missionaries and that it was dangerous to leave the education of Nigerian children in the hands of foreigners. These primary and secondary schools were handed over to the states by the Federal Government (the Federal Military Government also took over regional/state owned universities and still owns and manages those universities today).
Governor Jakande decided that every child must attend school, that they (and their parents) must spend little or nothing to get an education and that this must be done on budget (that is, the government must also not overspend in order to achieve this). So the government created numerous schools (I don't think any government in the history of Lagos has created as many schools as Jakande did).
The scholars buses ferried children to and from school free of charge and the government also reached agreements with publishers to supply books to the schools at no cost to the students.
I took some of those books from one of those students at that time and below are pictures of one of those books.
You can see that it has the Seal of the Lagos State Government on it. This notice is stamped on some of the pages of the book - "Property of the Lagos State Government. Not for sale" (the notice on the pages of another book reads - "Property of the Lagos State Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Not for sale" ). The name of the particular school was also stamped on the books and it was a huge offence to sell those books.
One of my favourite parts of the policy and one that was hated by many students, is the part that was known as Center. Basically, students from schools in a particular area or neighbourhood would congregate at a centre in which they would be taught woodwork, home economics and other hands on subjects.
So, how can anyone have a problem with this policy?
1) Multiple schools: - Remember that most of these schools were seized from their original owners, most of whom were european missionaries. The missionaries believed in total, all-round education. They believed that it was important to educate the mind, body and soul. So most of those schools had large football fields, cricket pitches, basketball and tennis courts, chapels and mosques and even swimming pools. They also had farms for agricultural science and facilities for music, arts and drama.
Jakande was determined to get as many people as possible into school, so he built new classroom blocks on those sports facilities. Several schools were built in the same compound. You had "Government College, School 1", "Government College, School 2", "Government College, School 3" (sounds like a nollywood movie, doesn't it?) and so on and so forth. Many of the schools (classroom blocks) were built so close to each other that they were poorly ventilated. If you go round Lagos, you'd see a lot of these schools that were established between 1980 and 1982.
Someone complained, "What kind of schools were those? They had no laboratories, no sports facilities, no libraries, just blocks of badly built classrooms".
The original owners and ex-students of these schools were also very upset that their school compounds were being broken up in this manner (a visit to Igbobi College or Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School will give you an idea of what happened. The Aunty Ayo School system was divided into 3 schools!).
2) The buildings: - The quality of the new buildings was also another source of concern. I watched a documentary on Jakande's birthday, in which the project coordinator explained what happened. Jakande told her that he wanted X number of classrooms built at Y amount. She went, did her study and came back and told him that it was impossible. He replied that he had faith in her and he knew that she could do it and restated that he wanted X number of classrooms built at Y amount. That she should find out where she can make savings. So she went back and made some adjustments. Rather than using glass window panes, they used wood. They made other similar adjustments and were able to build X number of schools for Y amount.
This was one of the things that infuriated people the most. One of my friends on Sunday complained that, "I can never like that guy. I don't know why people are trying to whitewash and launder his image. That guy built chicken sheds in my school and called them classrooms!"
Many of those classroom blocks were very basic. Some had no coat of paint, some had wooden windows, no fans, no electricity, etc.
Governor Mudashiru, who took over from Jakande, had to spend a lot of money to upgrade some of the classroom blocks.
3) Interview: - Like I said earlier, the missionairies and the colonial government believed in total education. They believed that they should not only educate the mind, but that they should also develop the body, social skills, behaviour and spiritual needs of the child. So there were sports activities, plays, musical performances, etc.
Thus, prospective students were interviewed and investigated to determine their suitability, not only academically (which would have been determined by the entrance examinations), but also in terms of character.
Jakande's policy dictated that school districts were divided into catchment areas. Principals of secondary schools had to accept students from specified primary schools in their catchment areas (so long as the student passed the G2 primary school leaving certificate exam [one of the easiest exams you could ever take). It was also very difficult for the principals to expel these students, except the student failed promotion exams twice.
The result was that many unruly students were admitted into these schools. Discipline broke down. It became quite normal to read stories in the newspapers about students beating up teachers and even principals. This was also one of the reasons why the old Principals Cup Competition was suspended. Extreme violence often accompanied these football matches. Secondary school students went to school and football matches with axes (known as UTC), cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
4) Carrying capacity: - The policy led to a dramatic increase in school enrollment and this put a huge strain on facilities (despite the rapid increase in schools and classrooms). Most schools, pre-1979, had a student-class ratio of 25 or 30 students per class. This changed during the Jakande era and it was not unusual to see classrooms with 60 to 100 students.
5) Shift system and boarding facilities: - Jakande's aim was to provide education to as many people as possible, so it was very strange that he abolished the shift system.
Pre-1979, people who were unable to get an education when they were younger and those who could not make it into the regular morning session because of space constraints, could enroll in the evening school system. Most schools had both a morning and an evening session (usually using the same school buildings, but sometimes using separate buildings). Jakande abolished that system and the morning session became the only session. For example, the facilities that were used for St Gregory's College's evening session became the Government College Victoria Island (GoCoVi). The shift system was initially created by the civillian and military governments of the 1960s, when the launched "universal education" policies. The facilities overstretched the existing facilities, so they had to introduce a shift system.
Jakande also abolished the boarding school system. The government planned to demolish the hostels and build classroom blocks where the hostels previously stood.
Now, certain families have a tradition of attending the legacy schools in Lagos. The legacy schools include:
CMS Grammar School, Methodist Boys High School, Methodist Girls High School, Anwar-Ul Islam Model College (formerly Ahmadiyya College and before that, it was known as Saka Tinubu), Anwar-Ul Islam Girls High School (formerly Ahmadiyya Girls College), St Gregory's College, Holy Child College, Baptist Academy, Kings College, Queens College, St Finbarr's College, Our Lady Of Apostles Secondary School, Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School, Aunty Ayo International School, etc. (All of these schools, except Kings and Queens College, were taken over by the State Government. Aunty Ayo was divided into 3 and 2 of the schools were taken over by the State, while one remained private).
I know a family which has had at least one member in a particular school every decade since the 1920s. I know another family in which the tradition is so strong that the children are brought back to Lagos, from wherever they are in the world, to attend a particular school (or its sister school). These families were very angry at the way that Jakande was "destroying" "their" schools. The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Okogie, launched scathing attacks against Jakande in the newspapers. He also instituted several lawsuits against the Lagos State Government. The families made several attempts to stop the LASG's attempt to "destroy" their schools. The Old Boys of Igbobi College stopped funding the school at a point, because they were depressed by what was happening to it.
It became an insult to be referred to as a Jakande boy or Jakande girl (they were synonymous with the word "thug" ) or for someone to say that you attended a Jakande school.
However, like my other friend would point out, this policy enabled many people who would probably have been uneducated and a problem to society, to get an education, get a job, feed their family/be independent and contribute to Nigeria's development. Cricket pitches, football fields, etc are a small price to pay in exchange for that.
Politics › Re: Dear Nigerians, This Is Not Our National Flag (see Photos) by naptu2: 9:29pm On Oct 31, 2019
when he actually did, is a disservice. Jakande didn't serve Lagos up to 5years and didn't have d resources that both Tinubu and Fashola who u said "tried to copy with their Millenium Schools policy." Where's d result of d copy?
