Native land.

Anthems world over are ‘feel good’ songs intended to ignite and fan the flame of patriotism. Many are decades or centuries old. Back in the day, anthems were simply poems adapted to popular hymns or songs. The US anthem is adapted to the music of a British song; words and phrases also got borrowed just to make the anthems good to sing.

It’s amazing that someone who was raised singing the new old Nigerian anthem has now suddenly developed so much disdain for the song. She announced to the children of Desmond she’s helping to virtually raise that she won’t ever be found singing the new anthem and they joined her in announcing their refusal as well. She said she will sing the now old one because it has nothing to do with the colonialists. I wonder who taught the writers and composers of ‘Arise O compatriots’ music. Probably the colonialists?

Madam Oby singled out the phrase ‘Native land’ and the word tribe. She questioned why we should have such “pejorative” words in our anthem in the 21st century and shove it down the throats of Nigerians. Her acolytes cheered her.

During the 2014 National conference, the delegates were reported to have unanimously agreed that Nigeria ought to return to the old anthem. They all stood up during plenary and spontaneously belted out the first stanza of ‘Nigeria we hail thee’ which many of them acknowledged was more fitting for Nigeria than the anthem commissioned by Oby’s former boss Obasanjo in 78.

Many of those who follow Oby are offsprings of EndSARS and obidiency; they are mostly young people who are convinced that the country has nothing for them and are interested in japaing. Most will take any offer to exit Nigeria; I’m certain that Canada is high on the wish list. I wonder if they have looked at the first two lines of the Nigerian anthem.
“Nigeria we hail thee,
Our own dear native land…”. and compared it to the first two lines of the Canadian anthem (originally composed in 1880 and translated in 1906)
“O Canada,
Our home and native land…”
In the 21st century, Canada has pejorative words that connote colonialism in her anthem? Wawuu.

I wonder if these children of Desmond will tell Canadian officials (assuming they have the chance of taking on Canadian citizenship) that they can’t sing the Canadian anthem because Aunty Oby told them ‘native land’ is pejorative and symbolic of colonialism.

It’s not everything over which you should allow your blood to become hot. You will just be at risk of DIC for nothing.

Even Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah but what do I know when madam is anticipating an ideological war.

5/29/24