The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised those who refuse to sing the national anthem approved by government.
Galaxy TV gathered that presidential candidate Peter Obi and members of his Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) refused to sing the approved national anthem during an event organised by their party. The gathering, which had in attendance the Lagos State governorship candidate of the NDC, Funsho Doherty, rather sang the old national anthem after loudly rejecting the approved one.
Reacting, Keyamo stated that such an act is no different from secession, and those behind it are officially a secessionist movement.
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He shared on X, "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.
"When a group of people decide to defy it and sing something different from what others are signing as prescribed by law, that group is preparing grounds to break away from the country. It is one of the ingredients of SECESSION. And once the leader of such a group endorses the action, it means the group is then OFFICIALLY a secessionist movement.
"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."
Funsho Doherty clears air on old national anthem
Meanwhile, the NDC's Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, said the singing of Nigeria’s former national anthem at the party’s town hall meeting in Lagos was a spontaneous reaction by attendees.
Doherty clarified during an interview on Nigeria Info 99.3FM on Friday, following criticism of the incident involving the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and other attendees.
He explained that the current national anthem was also sung after the crowd had recited the former version, insisting that the event organisers did not plan or orchestrate the switch.
According to him, the reaction came from audience members and was difficult for organisers to control in the atmosphere surrounding the gathering.
Doherty said the official national anthem was eventually performed, adding that Nigeria has only one recognised national anthem.
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