The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has given former Bayelsa State Governor and National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, 48 hours to clarify whether the party officially recognises Nigeria’s former national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots”, as its national symbol.
Keyamo issued the ultimatum on Saturday in a statement on his verified X account, following the controversy surrounding the singing of the former anthem by the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and other party supporters at a town hall meeting in Lagos.
The minister described the national anthem as a symbol of Nigeria’s history, values and sovereignty, arguing that it was intended to unite citizens regardless of their political affiliations.
He further alleged that deliberately rejecting the national anthem prescribed by law in favour of another could be an indication of a separatist agenda.
He wrote, “A National Anthem is one of a country’s national symbols. It represents a country’s history, values and SOVEREIGNTY. It is meant to UNITE citizens.”
Expanding his argument, Keyamo said a group that deliberately defied the officially recognised anthem could be laying the groundwork for secession.
“When a group of people decide to defy it and sing something different from what others are singing as prescribed by law, that group is preparing grounds to break away from the country. It is one of the ingredients of SECESSION,” he stated.
He added that when the leader of such a group endorsed the action, it could give the movement an official separatist character.
“And once the leader of such a group endorses the action, it means the group is then OFFICIALLY a secessionist movement,” the minister said.
Keyamo consequently challenged Dickson, whom he described as a former classmate and friend, to publicly state the NDC’s position within 48 hours.
“I AM THEREFORE OFFICIALLY CALLING ON the original ‘COUNTRYMAN’, my CLASSMATE, my friend and a man of considerable courage from our school days, SENATOR SERIAKE DICKSON, the official leader of the NDC, to within 48 hours SPEAK UP as to whether the NDC officially endorses a proscribed anthem as its own NATIONAL SYMBOL. The world is waiting,” he declared.
The controversy followed an NDC town hall meeting held on Thursday in the Oregun area of Lagos State, where Obi joined Dickson and other party members in singing “Arise, O Compatriots”.
A video of the event showed Obi and the party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, among those singing the former anthem after the event anchor switched from the current version.
Obi was also seen raising two fingers on both hands, a gesture associated with the NDC.
The incident attracted criticism from several political figures, including Keyamo, who had earlier accused Obi and other party members of showing disrespect to Nigeria’s national symbols and the presidency they were seeking to occupy.
However, Doherty subsequently explained that the singing of the former anthem was a spontaneous reaction by attendees and not an action planned by the party’s organisers.
Speaking during an interview on Nigeria Info 99.3 FM on Friday, Doherty said the current national anthem was also performed after the crowd had sung the former version.
He maintained that Nigeria had only one officially recognised national anthem and insisted that the organisers did not orchestrate the initial switch.
The controversy has also brought renewed attention to the National Anthem Act 2024, which restored “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the country’s official national anthem, replacing “Arise, O Compatriots”, which had been in use since 1978.
President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill into law on May 29, 2024, following its passage by the National Assembly.
Under the law, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” is recognised as the country’s national anthem, while provisions are made for its respectful observance during official and public occasions.
Interestingly, Keyamo acknowledged during a radio interview on Friday that he was unaware of any specific punishment prescribed by law for singing the former anthem.
“There’s no penalty that is prescribed by law. No penalty. The law just says this is our new national anthem and then you should think we should all abide by it. It becomes a crime when there’s a penalty attached to it,” he said.
The minister’s latest demand has raised further questions about whether the singing of the former anthem at the Lagos gathering represented an official position of the NDC or was merely a spontaneous expression by some attendees.