The National Conference on Thursday 3 July unanimously adopted a proposal that Nigeria revert to her old National Anthem, “which is a more credible symbol of unity, peace and prosperity”.
Instantly, delegates stood and in unison sang the first stanza of the old National Anthem which if adopted eventually, would become the new anthem.
The old anthem: “Nigeria we hail thee… our own dear native land; though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand’, was changed to the present one: ‘Arise o compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey…” during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1978.
Many Nigerians have expressed preference for the old anthem, as a better expression of the Nigerian spirit.
