Former presidential media aide Tolu Ogunlesi on Wednesday night shared magazine and newspaper reports from the 1950s and 60s to add his voice to Nigeria’s revised national anthem.
President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill on Wednesday after it was quickly passed at the House of Representatives and Senate.
The bill sees the country dump “Arise O compatriots” version to return to “Nigeria, we hail thee” which was composed just before independence in 1960.
Mr Ogunlesi, who was special assistant on digital/new media to former President Muhammadu Buhari, began by sharing on X a competition announcement for a national anthem for Nigeria, published in Federal Nigeria Magazine in January 1959.
The competition had a prize tag of $280 and was open to Nigerians and non-Nigerians home and abroad.
His research showed there were several competitions in 1959. The national flag competition, anthem and others.
Submissions came in for Nigeria’s anthem from the US, UK, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Algeria, Cyprus, South Africa, Belgium.
Lillian Jean Williams’ lyrics “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was selected as the winning submission for the new anthem.
December 1959 edition of Federal Nigeria reported that 3,693 entries were received from around the world, for consideration for the music to accompany the lyrics of the new Nigerian anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee.”
The magazine announced in its April 1960 edition that Frances Benda was the winner of the competition for national anthem music.
