In a move to align with a recent federal directive, the Osun State Government has instructed all public and private schools in the state to begin reciting the country’s old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
The order was issued in a release signed by Murtala Jimoh, the Permanent Secretary of the state’s Ministry of Education. Jimoh directed that schools are to ensure students learn and sing the restored anthem during their morning assemblies.
The directive follows President Bola Tinubu’s signing of a bill on Wednesday to reinstate the previous national anthem. The old version, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” is now the official national anthem once again.
“It is expected that it is the new Anthem that should be rendered during their various morning assemblies and this should be done as a matter of duty,” Jimoh stated in the release obtained in Osogbo on Friday.
The change comes as part of a broader push by the Tinubu administration to reaffirm national symbols and identity. School administrators across Osun State have been urged to comply with the directive and ensure their students learn the lyrics of the restored anthem.
This development is likely to be mirrored in other states as the federal government’s decision filters down to education authorities nationwide. The return to the previous national anthem is seen as an effort to foster greater patriotism among the youth.
