NOA Issues New Guidelines for Reciting National Anthem

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has released new guidelines on how Nigeria’s national anthem should be recited at official events.

According to a four-point directive issued on Thursday, only the first stanza of the anthem is to be sung or recited at official events, while the third stanza should serve as the *National Prayer at the beginning of such occasions.

The agency added that all three stanzas are to be used only on special national events such as Independence Day, the swearing-in of a President, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Democracy Day, and the inauguration of the National Assembly.

The National Pledge, NOA said, should be recited at the end of every event.

In May, President Bola Tinubu signed into law the bill that reintroduced Nigeria’s old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” replacing “Arise, O Compatriots.”

Despite public criticism, Tinubu maintained that the re-adopted anthem symbolizes unity and service to the nation.