A banner without stain, By Femi Adesina

…to construct a real nation, we should hand on to our youngsters a banner with out stain, from era to era. It, subsequently, signifies that we should eschew all anti-nation acts, predilections and tendencies, which suffuse ‘our personal expensive fatherland’ at present.

The ruckus over a brand new (which is in reality outdated) Nationwide Anthem has subsided. And as with many different issues, Nigerians have moved on. We at all times do.

For these of us who had been at school within the Nineteen Sixties and 70s, “Nigeria We Hail Thee” was the staple we consumed. It was our very beloved Nationwide Anthem. Melodious and provoking. We felt like doing something, going anyplace for the nation at any time when we sang it, as younger as we had been.

However in 1978, they mentioned we had been altering to a brand new Anthem. “Come up o Compatriots, Nigeria’s Name Obey.” I used to be a Class Three pupil in secondary college then, and willy-nilly, needed to study the brand new one. I didn’t really feel it was pretty much as good as the previous one, however they mouthed issues like patriotism, and having a house grown Nationwide Anthem, not one composed by a foreigner. We moved, as obedient residents.

For some years, there had been agitation from sure quarters for a return to the outdated Anthem within the nation. It was even a serious concern on the 2014 Constitutional Convention convened by President Goodluck Jonathan. Majority of the conferees opted for it.

So when the Bola Tinubu administration reverted to “Nigeria We Hail Thee” some months again, I had no concern with it. Lots of people argued that it was the least of the nation’s downside at the moment, however to me, ‘No person Fear No person.’ I didn’t need to relearn the outdated Anthem. It was firmly caught in my mind, and I had even taught it to my kids once they had been youthful.

Now, to the place we’re going, as we enter the yr 2025. Take a look at the final two traces of the second stanza of the brand new (outdated) Anthem: “Handy on to our youngsters, a banner with out stain.”

Very deep. Basic for any entity that would really be referred to as a nation. We aren’t a nation but, however mere conglomeration of ethnic nationalities. Hopefully, we’ll at some point grow to be a real nation.

However earlier than we get there, the banner of Nigeria should be with out stain, and it should be handed over from era to era.

‘Handy on to our youngsters, a banner with out stain.’ I shudder to confess that presently, the banner of Nigeria is full of stains, and has been so from the start. Bloodied. Sullied. Smudged. Besmirched.

Pity!

When Main Kaduna Nzeogwu led the primary army coup within the nation, and so they shot individuals from sure elements to ribbons, it was a stain on Nigeria’s banner. On our unity.

When the revenge coup occurred later, and it was additionally sectional in execution, one other smudge on our banner. Ultimately, there was a pogrom in opposition to an ethnic nationality, which finally led to an internecine civil warfare for 3 years. Over two million individuals had been killed, and it was an enormous stain on our banner.

Corruption is a sully. Ethnicity is a tarnish. Irredentism, non secular intolerance, chauvinism in any type, wanton killings, terrorism, insularity, evil talking, hatred of individuals in authority just because they aren’t from our clan, damaging confessions about our nation; all these besmirch our banner as a land and folks.

However to construct a real nation, we should hand on to our youngsters a banner with out stain, from era to era. It, subsequently, signifies that we should eschew all anti-nation acts, predilections and tendencies, which suffuse ‘our personal expensive fatherland’ at present.

We should consider in our nation, warts and all. William Cowper mentioned: “England, with all thy faults, I like thee nonetheless. My nation.” We should additionally say of our land: “Nigeria, with all thy faults, I like thee nonetheless. My nation.”

A banner with out stain. To be referred to as a nation, we should obtain it, if not in our time, then within the time of our youngsters.

Femi Adesina served as particular adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.