President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) were captured reciting the old national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” during Monday’s council meeting, despite the government’s official re-adoption of “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” more than two years ago.
A video of the session, which quickly went viral on social media, shows the President and his ministers standing and singing the anthem that was replaced in May 2024. The clip begins shortly after the President entered the venue and greeted attendees with “good afternoon.”
Nigeria officially reverted to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” — the anthem used at independence in 1960 — when President Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law on May 29, 2024. The legislation replaced “Arise, O Compatriots,” which had been in use since 1978.
As of Tuesday, the Presidency had not issued any statement explaining why the pre-2024 anthem was used at the high-level government meeting.The development has sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians expressing surprise and questioning coordination within official circles, while others debated the significance of the moment.
The anthem change in 2024 was intended to restore a symbol many associate with Nigeria’s early post-independence identity. However, incidents like Monday’s recitation continue to fuel public discussion about national symbols and their place in official proceedings.
Watch video below:
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydaySHOCK: Confusion As President Tinubu, Ministers Recite Old National Anthem At FEC Meeting pic.twitter.com/kHWjsXe8uM
— COMRDE SULEIMAN ABUBAKAR BARDE (@Comrdebarde) July 7, 2026
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