NOA to Nigerians: You must obtain permission before using the national anthem

 

Maureen Aguta

 

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged Nigerians to seek and obtain permission before using the national anthem.

A statement by the Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu today, said seeking and obtaining permission was necessary to avoid misinterpretation.

He further announced that press conferences will be held across all states to initiate the sensitisation campaign on the agency’s new policies.

He, however, did not state in what context permission should be sought before the anthem could be sung, or its lyrics could be used.

“As custodians of Nigeria’s national symbols, the NOA is tasked with preventing all forms of misuse. The DG emphasised that permission must be sought from the Agency before using the National Anthem to avoid misrepresentation,” the statement partly read.

He also clarified that the Nigerian flag is simply green, white, and green, with the correct shade of green being Emerald 2.0.

He noted the transformation from the neglected state in which he met the agency, citing key achievements such as the establishment of audio-visual studios, the launch of an optimised NOA website featuring the CLHEEAN-NOA Artificial Intelligence voice and chat assistant, and the recent approval of institutionalisation policies by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), all with the full support of President Bola Tinubu.

The DG explained that previous administrations focused solely on infrastructure development while neglecting the critical role of value orientation, leading to the decline of social intervention structures like the Boys’ Scouts, Girls’ Brigade, WAI Brigade, and even the National Orientation Agency itself.

However, he said the current administration recognised this oversight, with President Tinubu extending his support to the agency.

The backing he said, is reflected in the recent Federal Executive Council’s approvals, all of which revolve around value orientation and the National Identity Project.

Speaking on the newly introduced Citizen Value Brigade (CVB), Mallam Issa-Onilu advised Nigerians not to allow their children to search for heroes elsewhere, especially during their formative years.

He said the NOA had received approval to establish this social institution, which will instil Nigerian values in children, starting with 1,000 children per state and the FCT.

The initiative he said aims to cultivate homegrown heroes for future generations to emulate.

He also stressed the importance of creating local cartoon content to counter the influx of foreign values being conveyed to young Nigerians.

The Director General reiterated that both leaders and citizens share equal responsibility for national progress.

He explained that within the Nigerian Promise—a key aspect of the National Values Charter—there are principles of Equality and Meritocracy that the nation guarantees to its citizens, whether they are in positions of leadership or the general populace.

He warned that Nigeria cannot move without active participation and adherence to these values.

President Tinubu on the first anniversary of his office signed into law the bill to revert to Nigeria’s old national anthem which was dropped by the military government of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1978.

The re-adopted anthem, which begins “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” was written by Lillian Jean Williams in 1959 and composed by Frances Berda.