NDC’s use of old anthem suggests secessionism — Keyamo

File: Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress of expressing secessionist tendencies by singing Nigeria’s former national anthem in place of the legally recognised one.

Keyamo, in a post on his X handle, on Saturday, also defended the use of the song, On Your Mandate, by supporters of President Bola Tinubu, saying it was never sung in place of the national anthem.

The minister was responding to critics who had compared the use of Tinubu’s campaign song at public events with the recitation of the former national anthem by the supporters of NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi,  at a town hall meeting in Lagos.

The incident occurred on Thursday at the party’s meeting in the Oregun area of the state, where Obi and other attendees recited the former anthem, ‘Arise, O Compatriots’, instead of the current national anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’.

Keyamo said, “At no time have supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sung ON YOUR MANDATE IN PLACE of the National Anthem. At every occasion, the NATIONAL ANTHEM is always sung as a mark of recognition of one of our most important national symbols, and then the President is serenaded by his supporters with ON YOUR MANDATE.”

He added that nobody stopped Obi from adopting a song, including the former national anthem, but insisted that it should be sung before or after the legally recognised anthem.

“Nobody stops Peter Obi from adopting a song, even the old anthem, as his own song. But it must be sung either before or AFTER the legally recognised National Anthem is given its due RECOGNITION,” he said.

The minister also explained that the Police Band traditionally plays an instrumental piece when the President arrives at an event or prepares to speak.

• Tinubu’s reforms now yielding prosperity — Betta Edu
• Lagos APC backs 2027 take-off of Epe international airport
• Morning recap: Atiku-Makinde alliance talks, Kano gov’s marital crisis, other top stories

According to him, the band sometimes plays the instrumental version of On Your Mandate to herald the President’s speech, but only after the national anthem has been played.

“Check all videos of Presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan or Buhari entering the National Assembly or getting up to speak. It must be preceded by an instrumental from the Police Band. In this case, the Police Band sometimes plays the ON YOUR MANDATE instrumental to herald the President’s speech. This comes AFTER THE NATIONAL ANTHEM has been played,” Keyamo stated.

He further noted that some states have their own anthems, which are usually rendered after the national anthem.

However, Keyamo described the NDC’s decision to sing the former national anthem in place of the current one as an expression of a desire to establish a separate country.

“Singing an outlawed anthem IN PLACE of a legally approved NATIONAL ANTHEM by the NDC is surely an expression of a desire to have a separate country, and that is an INGREDIENT OF A SECESSIONIST GROUP,” he said.

The National Anthem Act 2024, signed by Tinubu on May 29, 2024, restored ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, which served as the country’s anthem from independence in 1960 until it was replaced by ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ in 1978.