LET'S GO BACK IN TIME
I grew up to meet the current national anthem that the Nation of Nigeria sings. It goes like this;
“Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labor of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom, peace, and unity.”
Image by natanaelginting on Freepik
While this national anthem is being sung by a lot of Nigerians as the accepted anthem of the nation, I learned in my history class that there was an anthem before this and when I decided to listen to that anthem, I must confess I preferred it far more to the one we currently sing. It goes like this;
”Nigeria we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood, we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honor’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.”
In my opinion, this anthem isn't just more mature but also portrays the true definition of what it means to be Nigerian. The last standard of this anthem got me so much looking at what we are facing in our nation, wouldn't it be nice if we always sang this anthem and ended with a prayer to build our nation…
Image by www.slon.pics on Freepik
Perhaps our leaders would not want to be reminded of the responsibility to build the nation. That is why they will continue to stick with the current national anthem, I want a Nigeria where every citizen will see its reverence in everything they do, see and touch.
Imagine singing the old national anthem in a competition, remembering that your actions, and result is all part of the nation-building. At that point, your heart would be made of stone if you did not break down in tears while singing the national anthem.
It's no News that the labor of our hero's past has all gone to waste seeing the current state of the nation, it's no News that there is no longer a zeal to serve the nation because the nation has not served its people in a very long while. But if we should go back to the first anthem that talks about our struggles, our strive, and our hope for a better and unified nation, I think it will go a long way in appealing to the hearts and minds of our fellow Nigerian brothers and sister to come together as one and fight for a nation that we can believe in and be safe with
It's not that I hate the new national anthem, I just think that it's all made up of unserious words that nobody believes anymore. I mean what is there to arise for when our hope has been dashed into pieces several times than we can imagine, why Should we obey the call of the nation, why should we serve our fatherland when all we have gotten from it is pain and suffering? It's clear that our government no longer regards the labor of the heroes of the past, so why call ourselves one nation when we are divided. I would rather sing a song of hope than sing a lie in the name of an anthem.
You can listen to both songs through the YouTube links below…
THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO HIVE LEARNER'S PROMPT FOR WEEK 104 EPISODE 3
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
I don’t think the labour of your forefathers have actually gone to waste
Things are hard now but they won’t be forever
I believe Nigeria will get better
I hope so too, because with how things are going... Only Nigerians living in Nigeria will understand first hand
Mm
I feel you mate, it's like different country but similar story here.
Everything about that national anthem we once had so much emotions and all that respect reminding us of efforts for the lands is somehow forgotten these days.. It's sad.
!PIZZA !LUV
Yeah right, I'm glad you saw it from my perspective
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@idksamad78699(2/5) tipped @kilvnrex
In this way the song Every country is loved by all the people and everyone tries to perform it well so that more people can listen to it.
Yeah right, thanks for stopping by
We as Nigerians should just keep hoping that there is still a future for the country and that God will deliver us from the hand of bad leaders.
#dreemerforlife
I pray so ooo
I have no words mate cause I don't know how to comfort you. My only hope is that all of my new Nigerian friends here on Hive are thinking the same and if there is even 10-20% youngsters of Nigeria thinking like you then there is still hope. There will be a time where the old anthem's spirit will beat in everyone's heart.
In my country too things are not always rosy. And the one thing i see with all authoritative govts is that they first reduce the power and effectiveness of local bodies. WE have to try and make the local bodies strong again, so that whatever be the decision of national govts the local bodies can take care of the local people's everyday affairs. We do have local govt called Panchayats which are effective in many parts of the country, and those parts the local population is well served as they are part of the system by being part of the panchayat. Only when local people are part of the system will systems be useful for them and locals will only volunteer at local level. No once wants to get dirty playing politics beyond that level.
Just from the lyrics perspective I do love the old anthem too. Very lovely ideas and goals to live up to.
Great post. You taught me something new today :) Cheers from a fellow #dreemerforlife
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, I do hope my country will one day rise again to glory.
I guess there are no good government anywhere, especially because the government are made up of humans who can be eluded by power. It's not easy to see that power and not want to do something with it even though it doesn't please others