NOA Issues New Guidelines on Reciting Nigeria’s National Anthem at Official Events

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has issued new guidelines on the recital of Nigeria’s national anthem at official events.

In a statement released on Thursday, the agency directed that only the first stanza of the anthem should be recited or sung at official functions. The third stanza, the statement clarified, is to be used as the National Prayer at the beginning of events. The full three stanzas are to be reserved for major national occasions such as Independence Day, presidential inaugurations, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Democracy Day (June 12), and the inauguration of the National Assembly. The National Pledge, meanwhile, should be recited at the conclusion of events.

The directive follows President Bola Tinubu’s decision last May to reintroduce the former national anthem, *Nigeria, We Hail Thee*, replacing the version adopted in 1978, *Arise, O Compatriots*. The change generated public debate, but Tinubu defended the move as a reaffirmation of national service.

The first stanza of the reintroduced anthem begins:

Nigeria, we hail thee

Our own dear native land

Though tribes and tongues may differ

In brotherhood, we stand

Nigerians all, are proud to serve

Our sovereign Motherland.

The second stanza emphasizes truth, justice, and leaving a legacy for future generations, while the third serves as a prayer for peace, prosperity, and the well-being of all Nigerians.