Nigerian activist and businesswoman Aisha Yesufu made a bold statement by refusing to stand for the newly adopted national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” at a recent event.
This act of defiance follows President Tinubu’s signing of the new anthem into law on Wednesday, replacing the previous national anthem.
“Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” originally written by British expatriate Lillian Jean Williams and composed by Frances Berda, was initially replaced by “Arise, O Compatriots.” Critics have long disapproved of the original anthem because of its foreign origins.
The legislative push to reinstate the old anthem was spearheaded by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) and received substantial support from lawmakers.
Advocates of the bill argued that the original anthem better symbolizes unity, peace, and prosperity compared to its successor, which they claim was a product of a military regime and lacked alignment with national values and norms.
Yesufu captioned her video with the hashtag #NotMyNationalAnthem, prompting a wide array of comments from social media users.
A video of Ms Yesufu sitting while others at the event stood up for the recitation of the anthem, has made the rounds on social media.
Her disposition indicated that she is displeased with the recent reintroduction of the old National anthem.
See screesnhot of her post and Watch the video below;
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7pWzpPNqkC/
