Nigeria’s old or first national anthem entitled “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was composed by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate living in Nigeria at the time. The anthem was adopted on October 1, 1960 to mark Nigeria’s independence celebrations. The music was composed by another British woman, Frances Berda. Below you will find the lyrics to the old Nigerian national anthem.
Stanza 1
Nigeria we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Stanza 2
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honour’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
Stanza 3
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed
However, Nigeria’s former national anthem was widely criticized, including because its composer was not Nigerian.The Daily Service, a newspaper managed by the political organization Egbé Ọmọ Odùduwà, even launched a campaign to challenge the national anthem, which led to the formation of a committee to collect signatures for a petition. “Nigeria, We Welcome You” ceased to be the national anthem of Nigeria in 1978 after it was replaced by a new one composed by Ben Odiase, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and then Musical Director of the Nigerian Police Band.
The new Nigeria’s national anthem was titled “Arise, O Compatriots” and is still in use till today.
Tell your preferred version between the old and the new anthems in the comments.
