The Second Stanza Of The National Anthem: A National Prayer
The Nigerian National Anthem is usually performed at major events having to do with national pride,such as the President's address,major sporting events and at school where it is usually accompanied by Nigeria's National Pledge. The anthem was adopted in 1978. The lyrics are a combination of words and phrases taken from five of the best entries in a national contest. The words were put to music by the Nigerian Police Band under the directorship of Benedict Elise Odiase. Unarguably,many people are conversant with the first stanza of the anthem and the National Pledge but the second stanza is rarely sung by people. This has made the stanza almost forgotten by Nigerian even some leaders. As we celebrate our independence again and 49years of much struggle without reasonable achievements,lets reflect on the second stanza of our anthem,believing that things will be better. I believe that the proper understanding of this stanza may make us change our wrong notions against our nation. ...