₦airaland Forum

On January 1st 1959, Federal Nigeria magazine made an announcement that declared a competition for people to compose a new national anthem for the new country Nigeria.

The National Planning Committee for Independence has launched a competition to select a National Anthem to commemorate independence for the Federation of Nigeria on October 1, 1960.

A prize of $280.00 will be paid for a National Anthem expressing the spirit of a Nigeria that is free and independent among the countries of the world. Entries of not more than three verses of six lines each, IN ENGLISH, are invited from NIGERIANS and NON-NIGE-RIANS inside and outside Nigeria who can put this spirit into words (the setting of the verses to music will be the subject of another announcement).

Closing date for entries: March 31, 1959.

Entries are to be sent to: Independence Celebrations Officer, c/o Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lagos.

From Tolu Ogunlesi.

..

Submissions came in for Nigeria's new (Independence) Anthem, from all over the world:

USA, UK, Ghana, French Cameroons, Senegal, Algeria, Cyprus, South Africa, Belgium.

The second photo below was where it was announced that miss Lilian Williams won the competition. She was a social worker employed by Nigeria government. She was selected from a shortlist of 45 entries from all around the world.

Lillian Jean Williams' lyrics—"Nigeria, We Hail Thee" was selected as the winning submission for the new Anthem.

After selecting her lyrics, another call was made for people to compose music for the national anthem. Over 3600 entries were received for this.

£1000 was the price to win.

Below are the six panel of judges that selected the winner for the music to the national anthem. Frances Benda's entry Won this category to the music for “Nigeria, we Hail Thee”

—Mr. Fela Sowande
—Mr. O. Omideyi
—Mr. T. K. E. Philips
—Mr. W. C. Echazona
—Mrs. M. C. Majekodunmi 
—Mrs. H. Lawson

I do hope those critics are reading this.

My mum loved this anthem up till date. No elderly person who was born before the 70s will choose the new anthem over the Independence anthem..

You can go and ask your father's and mothers.

Below is a Quora post by an anonymous person 2 years ago. Here, he claimed his dad composed a song for Nigeria national anthem.

I guess his dad was also part of those that submitted back then in 1960.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/s9lz8e/i_just_found_that_my_grandpa_wrote_a_national/

Ajens1991:
I do hope those critics are reading this.

My mum loved this anthem up till date. No elderly person who was born before the 70s will choose the new anthem over the Independence anthem..

You can go and ask your father's and mothers.

Yes, it is perfectly rational to choose a colonial anthem over a perfect one composed by a citizen in the midst of an economic crisis. APC certainly attracts some types of people. Oya be singing it up and down the streets.

Also, don't forget to teach it to people who can't afford three square meals and tell them to sing it whenever they're hungry to summon food from thin air. Iranu

ClearFlair:
Yes, it is perfectly rational to choose a colonial anthem over a perfect one composed by a citizen in the midst of an economic crisis. APC certainly attracts some types of people. Oya be singing it up and down the streets

stop saying nonsense, it was not a colonial anthem. Nigeria called for entries from people around the world for a new national anthem. Out of the total 45 entries. Lilian version was chosen.

She was an ordinary social worker employed by the Nigerian government. Ordinary person, the judges are Nigerians and they only selected her version due to merit.

LegendHero:
stop saying nonsense, it was not a colonial anthem. Nigeria called for entries from people around the world for a new national anthem. Out of the total 45 entries. Lilian version was chosen.

She was an ordinary social worker employed by the Nigerian government. Ordinary person, the judges are Nigerians and they only selected her version due to merit.

Kindly get out of my mentions with your propaganda mentality. I don't interact with people like you because something is clearly wrong somewhere. Thanks.

ClearFlair:
Kindly get out of my mentions with your propaganda mentality. I don't interact with people like you because something is clearly wrong somewhere. Thanks.

Go and call the professors in your state to come and argue with me coz it's evident you don't even understand the discourse. What is propaganda when I clearly showed my sources?

You don't even understand what is called " a propaganda"

🤣😀😏 🤣😂😁😃😳😅😎😁😂🤣😒😏 Heaven not sure u again

LegendHero:
Go and call the professors in your state to come and argue with me coz it's evident you don't even understand the discourse. What is propaganda when I clearly showed my sources?

You don't even understand what is called " a propaganda"

leodeking,yarimo,ipobarecriminals,obaofaba,shortigboman,onionbandits,helinues

Hmm.. come to think of it, Nigeria had foreign social workers back in the 70s? .. interesting! So, where are they now? Left their jobs to compose more anthems?

£1,000 = 82,800? 😭😭

MrAdam:
Hmm.. come to think of it, Nigeria had foreign social workers back in the 70s? .. interesting! So, where are they now? Left their jobs to compose more anthems?

That is in the 50s. This thread is about the first national anthem that we adopted between 1960 to 1974.

Chixco95:
£1,000 = 82,800? 😭😭

I think that is £1,000 = $2,800.

As at that time, we are still using the pounds. Naira was coined at a later time.

Ajens1991:
I do hope those critics are reading this.

My mum loved this anthem up till date. No elderly person who was born before the 70s will choose the new anthem over the Independence anthem..

You can go and ask your father's and mothers.

While I never cared about this matter of National Anthem as I do not think it is a problem that needed to be fixed when there are real issues that need fixing, I agree with your assertion about the elderly Nigerians.

I believe their fixation with the old anthem that has now made a return, is because that was the anthem they were tutored with and mentally rejected the new anthem that the military government set for Nigeria.

In fact, the oldies saw in the new anthem the very decline of Nigeria, and attached themselves to the old anthem that epitomized the glorious days of Nigerian hope and potential for greatness.

I am not surprised that President Tinubu and the old politicians in the National Assembly, also haboured this same bias against the newer anthem to the point that they felt a need to correct it.

ClearFlair:
Yes, it is perfectly rational to choose a colonial anthem over a perfect one composed by a citizen in the midst of an economic crisis. APC certainly attracts some types of people. Oya be singing it up and down the streets.

Also, don't forget to teach it to people who can't afford three square meals and tell them to sing it whenever they're hungry to summon food from thin air. Iranu

You mean you are mentally incapable of receiving the enlightenment that rehabilitates the mind from misinformation and misconceptions?

A topic that clearly shows with records that the now returned old Anthem is an independence anthem is what you still term a colonial anthem?

Truly, a hungry man is an angry man.

An angry man cannot process education.

President Tinubu, please focus on solving the hunger in the land, else every other thing would be a waste of effort.

StOla:
While I never cared about this matter of National Anthem as I do not think it is a problem that needed to be fixed when there are real issues that need fixing, I agree with your assertion about the elderly Nigerians.

I believe their fixation with the old anthem that has now made a return, is because that was the anthem they were tutored with and mentally rejected the new anthem that the military government set for Nigeria.

In fact, the oldies saw in the new anthem the very decline of Nigeria, and attached themselves to the old anthem that epitomized the glorious days of Nigerian hope and potential for greatness.

I am not surprised that President Tinubu and the old politicians in the National Assembly, also haboured this same bias against the newer anthem to the point that they felt a need to correct it.

I also don’t care about the new national anthem, infact I think Tinubu shouldn’t have done it because I don’t think it’s what we need right now. But he already done it, so we don’t have a choice than to accept. People should have protested it before the NASS pass it if truly we don’t want it.

However, as someone from the young generation, the first time I ever heard the old national anthem was in the movie “October 1st” by Kunle Afolayan. There was a scene where one teacher was teaching the students in preparation for October 1st Independence Day.

I watched that movie with my brother, the first thing me and my brother uttered was “Why did we changed this lovely anthem”. We loved that anthem immediately we heard it. That was when I now went to read more on why it was changed and etc.

LegendHero:
I also don’t care about the new national anthem, infact I think Tinubu shouldn’t have done it because I don’t think it’s what we need right now. But he already done it, so we don’t have a choice than to accept. People should have protested it before the NASS pass it if truly we don’t want it.

However, as someone from the young generation, the first time I ever heard the old national anthem was in the movie “October 1st” by Kunle Afolayan. There was a scene where one teacher was teaching the students in preparation for October 1st Independence Day.

I watched that movie with my brother, the first thing me and my brother uttered was “Why did we changed this lovely anthem”. We loved that anthem immediately we heard it. That was when I now went to read more on why it was changed and etc.

Like the other poster asserted, my mum who was born in the early 1950s also referred positively to that anthem a lot while I was growing up.

So it would seem it is a generational thing as the oldies yearn for the glorious days of their childhood, while we who were shaped in the military mould, hold on to the things the military gave to us.

If a return to old anthem can be done, then a return to regional governments or better political restructuring can be effected by a democratic government.

It is time for democratic Nigeria to shape Nigeria, instead of just living the system the military regimes put in place to usher a return to democracy.

Tinubu got balls. Let him move beyond this mental rejiging of Nigerians and see through with the necessary changes to national life.

K

That days Nigerians are proud to be a Nigerians I think Mr President want to do his best to bring those glory

We would see Where this anthem will put the Nigeria economy in years to come..

Clueless morons

First achievement in 360 days; Changed national anthem

Goats

Shior

Of all the issues this country is facing, una say na olden days national anthem be una problem.
Na God go punish all of una.

60 years old and above folks love this anthem.

StOla:
Like the other poster asserted, my mum who was born in the early 1950s also referred positively to that anthem a lot while I was growing up.

So it would seem it is a generational thing as the oldies yearn for the glorious days of their childhood, while we who were shaped in the military mould, hold on to the things the military gave to us.

If a return to old anthem can be done, then a return to regional governments or better political restructuring can be effected by a democratic government.

It is time for democratic Nigeria to shape Nigeria, instead of just living the system the military regimes put in place to usher a return to democracy.

Tinubu got balls. Let him move beyond this mental rejiging of Nigerians and see through with the necessary changes to national life.

You are right.

Also, there is one thing I noted about Tinubu, he is a thinker and a doer. That man is so powerful that he can do anything and no one will raise a feather.

He should not waste his power, he should effect restructuring once and for all. All those lies we always hear that it depend on the National Assemble bla bla bla are just nonsensical statement. Tinubu can get most things done by lobbying them, he should make sure he see to fruition all the items in the restructuring. anything wey wan happen make e happen.

ACN bloc campaigned all their life about restructuring, it will be the greatest disservice if Tinubu won't complete that restructuring with all the power it seems he wields. 3 more years to go, we wait!

Ajens1991:
I do hope those critics are reading this.

My mum loved this anthem up till date. No elderly person who was born before the 70s will choose the new anthem over the Independence anthem..

You can go and ask your father's and mothers.

Same as my mum. I knew this anthem when I was a kid in the 1980s as she was always singing it, and I always wondered why Nigeria dumped it.

StOla:
While I never cared about this matter of National Anthem as I do not think it is a problem that needed to be fixed when there are real issues that need fixing, I agree with your assertion about the elderly Nigerians.

I believe their fixation with the old anthem that has now made a return, is because that was the anthem they were tutored with and mentally rejected the new anthem that the military government set for Nigeria.

In fact, the oldies saw in the new anthem the very decline of Nigeria, and attached themselves to the old anthem that epitomized the glorious days of Nigerian hope and potential for greatness.

I am not surprised that President Tinubu and the old politicians in the National Assembly, also haboured this same bias against the newer anthem to the point that they felt a need to correct it.

I agree.

But my question is, why was the anthem changed in the first place

Mosdiii:
But my question is, why was the anthem changed in the first place

It was Obasanjo, he mainly wanted a new anthem as the military guys and some political class then believed we should do away with any relics of the old anthem.

I will predict that it got changed basically because Obasanjo the then head of state wants it.