Teni, while speaking on her verified X page, also stated that the replaced anthem reminds her of so many childhood memories
By Kehinde Okeowo
Popular Afrobeats singer, Teniola Apata, better known as Teni, has admitted that she will miss the recently jettisoned national anthem, after the Nigerian government reverted to the old anthem.
She made this known on her X handle, formerly Twitter, while lamenting the change.
TheNiche had earlier reported that the President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, May 29 signed the “National Anthem Bill 2024” into law, thereby reinstating the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
Reacting to the development, the singer said the jettisoned anthem reminds her of so many childhood memories.
Taking to her verified social media page, Teni tweeted: wrote: “Arise o compatriots, I’ll miss you, thank you for so many childhood memories. till we meet again, love SM.”
The replaced anthem, ‘Arise, O compatriots’ was adopted as Nigeria’s National Anthem in 1978.
The lyrics were composed by John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B. A. Ogunnaike, Sota Omoigui and P. O. Aderibigbe.
The anthem was performed by the Nigeria Police Band under the directorship of B. E. Odiasse.
However, with President Tinubu’s assent to the National Anthem Bill 2024, ‘Arise, O compatriots’ has now been replaced by the old anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’.
Meanwhile, another Nigerian singer and songwriter, Adekunle Kosoko better known as Adekunke Gold recently sent tongues wagging on social media after stating that Timi Dakolo’s song, ‘Great Nation’ would have made a better national anthem than the old anthem which the country returned to.
Speaking via his X handle, he asked: “No one thought Timi Dakolo’s Great Nation makes a better anthem?”