THOUGH TRIBE AND TONGUE MAY DIFFER

THOUGH TRIBE AND TONGUE MAY DIFFER

Do young Nigerians know our former national anthem, "Nigeria, We Hail Thee", sung between 1960 and 1978 when it was replaced with "Arise, O Compatriots"?

The first four lines of the former anthem are:

Nigeria, we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood we stand.

The Nigerian state was created in 1914, as an act of British colonialism, by the amalgamation of two existing British colonial states, the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria and the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. It's been over 100 years and Nigerians have chosen to continue to remain united. There are over 370 tribes, and according to Wikipedia, 521 languages have been spoken in Nigeria (nine of which are now extinct).

Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse society, and the composer of our former anthem, Lillian Jean Williams, was obviously fully aware of that. But though our tribes and tongue differ we have managed to live together as brothers and sisters for over a century. Despite threats of secession we have remained united. I think that's something you and I should be proud of.

Living together has not been without challenges; but that's not surprising: in the Bible, we read of a time in the Early Church when there was a dispute between the Hebrews and the Hellenists; the Hellenists felt they were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. So if food could cause issues in the Church, it's expected that distribution of proceeds of our natural resources would equally come with complaints. What matters, therefore, is how our leaders respond to the complaints of the people.

The last four lines of our former national anthem are:

Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.

In this nation of ours, it is very important that no one is oppressed by another. The rich must not oppress the poor, the majority must not oppress the minority, the strong must not oppress the weak, leaders must not oppress the followers, teachers must not oppress the students and employers must not oppress their employees. We must continue to say no to all forms of oppression.

According to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life. Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person. Every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty. Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief. Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof. And subject to the provisions of the Constitution, every citizen of Nigeria shall have the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria. These are the rights of every Nigerian and it must be clearly understood by all.

Nigeria is undoubtedly a great nation. And we are capable of becoming greater than we already are if together, we continue to work for the peace and prosperity of our country.

I am proud to be a Nigerian!

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

April 8, 2015

Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim
Author, Spirit & Life Devotional
Pastor, Able Ministers
Founder, Future Nigerian Leaders Group

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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