The President assented the Bill on Wednesday and in the process – officially retired the more familiar “Arise O Compatriots” anthem which had been in use since 1978 in favour of “Nigeria We Hail Thee” which was composed at Independence.
The move is coming at a time when the country is marking the Silver Jubilee Of the 4th Republic.
It also coincided with the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Senate and the House of Representatives had previously passed the legislation to swap the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” at separate sittings.
Lyrics to the revisited anthem were written by
Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria during her independence and composed by Frances Berda