The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has issued fresh guidelines intended to standardise the rendition of Nigeria’s national anthem and pledge across public and official functions nationwide.
In a four-point instruction circulated on Thursday, the agency clarified that at most official events, participants should “recite/sing only the first stanza (not all three (3) stanzas at official events).”
Furthermore, the NOA directed that “the third stanza should be recited as the National Prayer at the beginning of an event.”
The guideline also states that “the three stanzas are to be recited/sung only during Independence Day, Inauguration (swearing-in) of a President, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Democracy (June 12) Day, Inauguration of the National Assembly, etc.”
Finally, the statement mandates that “The National Pledge is to be recited at the end of an event.”
The directive comes in the aftermath of the reinstatement of Nigeria’s former anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”, which was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in May 2024.
After the change, confusion and inconsistencies in recital trailed the anthem, prompting the NOA to issue a standard protocol.
Furthermore, the NOA identified frequent mistakes made by citizens when singing the anthem and provided the correct wording to ensure accuracy.
The agency highlighted four recurring errors: using “Tribe” and “Tongue” instead of “Tribes” and “Tongues” in the third line of stanza one; saying “Nigerians all, and” instead of “Nigerians all, are” in the fifth line of stanza one; and concluding with “Nigeria shall be blessed” instead of the correct “Nigeria may be blessed” in the third stanza.
The agency urged Nigerians to “kindly take note of the correct protocol for the rendition and recitation of the National Anthem and Pledge.”
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