Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Contempt -By Sung Bauta

The change of the National anthem is Nigeria’s new insanity. This insanity, foisted upon Nigerians by the Bola Tinubu regime leaves sensible Nigerians asking: Of all the problems bedeviling our country, how is reverting to an old anthem going to improve the lives of Nigerians? Tinubu argues that the old anthem best captures Nigeria’s diversity. Note that Tinubu does not refer to Nigeria’s unity, but to Nigeria’s diversity. Tinubu pays lip service to Nigeria’s oneness; for his actions prove otherwise. The Muslim-Muslim ticket, for instance, was indicative of Tinubu’s intention to use our differences to divide and rule the country.

Thus, Tinubu’s vision for Nigeria is “colonial.” Our British colonizers justified their hegemony of Nigeria based on our differences to them. The colonizers also used our diversity to pit Nigerians against Nigerians. For the sake of argument, even if Tinubu’s view of Nigeria’s diversity is a healthy one, why would he choose an old anthem written and composed by colonizers over the anthem written and composed by Nigerians? By believing that colonizers better express Nigeria’s diversity than Nigerians, Tinubu shows his utter contempt for Nigerians. And one could argue that the Nigerians who wrote and composed “Arise, O Compatriots” do not represent the demography of Nigeria; yet they represent the spirit of Nigeria better than foreign nationals!

“Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was dropped in 1978, not only because it lacked Nigerian input, but because it did not represent the Nigeria of the future. I agree with Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a two-time minister and a presidential candidate of the federal republic of Nigeria, that terms such as “native land” and “tribes” are problematic; those terms represent a retrogression, not progress. Moreover, several lines of the anthem do not mirror the reality of Nigeria in the Tinubu era. How can we stand on “brotherhood” when Tinubu and his ilk have set Nigerians against each other to gain power? And they use the power to further exploit the Nigerian people. Also, our flag does not symbolize the reign of justice and truth. The bloodied flags of the EndSARS movement represent the perpetual assaults, harassments, and killings of passionate Nigerians who demand a better country. The APC, now led by Bola Tinubu, is building a nation where every Nigerian is to be oppressed.

Finally, it is revealing that the EndSARS movement was made up largely of Nigerian youths. Reverting to an old anthem is Tinubu’s middle finger to Nigeria’s youths. Ezekwesili rightly asserts that Nigeria’s elites do not care about the younger generations of Nigerians.

These elites have not only handed our children a banner with stain; they have stained the banner with our children’s blood. A president of Nigeria maintains the status quo; he has utter disdain for the masses; he rejects the idea of transferring power to the youth or to anyone his clique disapproves of. A president for Nigeria resists the sentimentality of the old and inspires the nation towards the best possible future for all. In short, his ambition is to leave behind a nation better than he met it. Unfortunately, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the president of Nigeria.