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Abdulkadir Salaudeen
Since the time of former President Buhari, a close friend of mine insisted (and still insists) that Nigeria’s problem is spiritual. I always argued with him. Later, I stopped arguing. It is not because I am convinced that Nigeria’s problem is spiritual; but because I think it could be something more than spiritual.
Again, I am not persuaded by what apologists of the “spiritual side of Aso Villa” want us to believe. That is nonsense. But honestly, some actions taken by Tinubu government defy explanation. They are not only irrational, they are fantastically incredible.
Could anyone, in their wildest imagination, think that changing a national anthem is the solution to our myriad problems in this country? The advice to change Nigerian Anthem should be from some witches and wizards who believe we must offer some sacrifices and pour libations to appease some angry deities who are behind Nigeria’s numerous predicaments. As is the practice in witchdom, you have to hail to heal. Hence, Nigeria we hail thee!
Those who voted for Tinubu have started asking: “Is this the Tinubu we actually voted for?” It is true that history repeats itself. What is sad about Nigerian history is that it repeats only the ugly side of itself. I am afraid people will start saying the “Man” is not Tinubu. We should not be too amnestic to have forgotten the putatively cloned Nigerian President—Jibril of Sudan. Many believe this gibberish when things became too awry to understand during Buhari regime. I can still recall that a professor whose cap is supposedly a thinking cap struggled to convince me, by force, that the Man ruling us was Jibril from Sudan.
Is the present President Tinubu—who some believe to be a sage—the real Tinubu or a cloned one? Don’t be a doubting Thomas. President Tinubu is the Tinubu we know. He is still the philosopher king, the political strategist, the Èmi lo kàn theorist, the Jagaban of Borgu, and the Landlord of Bourdillon who “built” modern Lagos. However, in an attempt to take Nigeria some steps forward, Tinubu catapulted Nigeria back to the 1960—that is 64 years backward.
Does anyone feel nostalgic about this newly excavated national anthem? We thought the anthem which stigmatized us—as primitive beings who are unworthy of modern existence—had been buried long ago. We are not absolutely right! Though the anthem was buried, its grave was not levelled. So our lawmakers resurrected it and Tinubu gave it a new lease of life. Lillian Jean Williams, a British who composed the anthem, insultingly called us tribes. However, in front of the whole world who think we are now civilized, our “elected rulers” are clapping for Lillian—after six decades—for calling us savages.
Lillian should be smiling in her grave, if the dead smile, that Nigerians are tribes as she once described them. She composed the anthem’s lyrics in 1959 and it was adopted by Nigeria in 1960. After the rebellious protest that trailed the ill-composed national anthem by this agent of colonialism—which was later jettisoned in the late 1970s—our lawmakers and President Tinubu vindicated Lillian.
Many condemned “Nigeria we hail thee” lyrics and lamented that it is a misplaced priority at this critical time when many issues are begging for solutions. I don’t see it as a misplaced priority. This is misleading. It gives the impression that some priorities are well placed while this very one is misplaced.
It is either this government has no priority at all or its priorities are all misplaced. In fairness to President Tinubu, he could not celebrate his one year in office. He could not address Nigerians as he has nothing to showcase as achievement. On this, I thank him for being honest about his lacklustre regime and for not wasting our time—listening to presidential speech.
I implore President Tinubu to also refrain from speaking to us on June 12. There is no need. We are busy learning the “newly old” national anthem. I don’t know which part of speech is “newly old.” But I know that I know what I mean by “newly old” and hopefully readers will understand.
Yes. I mean it. President Tinubu! Don’t address us. We need not be distracted by any national broadcast. We are busy trying to see how to convince our curious kids that we are not primitive animals as we are being portrayed in “Nigeria we hail thee.” We need to explain to our kids that though Nigeria has now become a jungle, yet, we are a civilized people. We are only being unfortunate to have leaders without human feelings—they look and sound modern and educated but act atavistically.
After unleashing maximum hardship on Nigerians through the three worded “Subsidy is Gone,” negotiation on minimum wage seems to have no end in sight. The “saved” trillion of naira from the removal of oil subsidy has not added a dime to wages of Nigerian workers. I learnt government proposed N54,000 which was rejected. The labour union could understandably not sell its labour for that slavish wage.
Lately, I learnt the government re-priced minimum wage again and pegged it at N60,000 the way we price food items in our periodic village markets. Still rejected. Now that our renewed hope has been renewed afresh—courtesy of the “newly old” anthem—the government should please negotiate the price of the minimum wage to realistically mirror a living wage.
I learnt The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has issued a directive to all its Orientation and Mobilization Officers in the 774 Local Governments to commit the newly signed National Anthem to memory UNFAILINGLY by Monday, June 3, 2024. I pity those staff. I just thank God that I do not work with the NOA. How would my basket brain commit that Lillian insult to memory before Monday?
Change of attitude is the key if our leaders are rightly advised; not change of anthem. Anyway, we hail thee (our dear President Tinubu) for the Lillian Anthem. That shows you are working. May God deliver Nigeria and guide our leaders.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
