Senate identifies errors in new National Anthem, Directs NOA to effect corrections without delay

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has identified some errors in lines three, five and eighteen of the new National Anthem released by the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

The Senate President observed the errors during plenary on Tuesday.

Last Wednesday, the Director-General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, unveiled the “standardised version” of the national anthem in Abuja.

Mr Issa-Onilu, during the unveiling, urged Nigerians to pay attention to the words in lines three and five of the national anthem as released by the NOA .

But at yesterday’s plenary, Senator Akpabio said the version with the NOA differs from the one passed by the Senate .

Akpabio, however, directed the NOA to immediately effect corrections on the faulty lines as he urged Nigerians to take note of identified lines .

He said : “Take note, this is the version that was passed by the national assembly, what the National Orientation Agency has is not what we passed.

“Where you have, Nigerians all, are proud to serve, they said Nigerians all, and proud to serve, that is number one, it should be are.

“And then it said though tribes and tongues may differ, they said, thus tribe and tongue, I hope you understand and at the end where we said Nigeria shall be blessed, they did not say so, they said Nigeria may be blessed.

“We are using the word shall, which is compulsion that this country shall be blessed. So, tell the National Orientation Agency to drop what they are circulating now. Congratulations to all of us,” Mr. Akpabio added.