The National Orientation Agency on Wednesday, unveiled the standardized version of the reintroduced national anthem.
The agency also specifically urged Nigerians to note the lyrics in lines three and five of the reintroduced national anthem.
The reintroduced national anthem, composed by a British expatriate, Lillian Jean Williams, was in use by the country between 1960 and 1978.
However, on May 29, President Bola Tinubu signed into law the bill to revert to the old national anthem amid scathing criticism from some Nigerians who regarded the move as a misplaced priority.
After the national anthem’s reintroduction, several versions of it appeared across the country.
Unveiling the standardised version of the anthem on Wednesday in Abuja, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the move was to ensure the lyrics are one.
He said, “Today’s event is to present the official version which will clear all doubts about the correct lyrics as contained in the Act signed by the President.
“We call the attention of Nigerians to line three of the first stanza, which reads: Though tribes and tongues may differ. Note that the words “tribes” and “tongues” are in plural. We want you to also note that line five of the first stanza reads: Nigerians all, are proud to serve”. The word ”are”, not ”and” is correct.”