The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of showing secessionist tendencies by singing Nigeria’s former national anthem rather than the officially recognised one.
At the event, the anchor reportedly asked attendees to stand for the national anthem. However, Obi, Funso Doherty, the party’s Lagos governorship candidate, and some supporters allegedly remained seated when the current anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” was played.
In a post on X on Saturday night, Keyamo responded to the incident and rejected comparisons with the campaign song used by supporters of President Bola Tinubu.
He wrote: “Let me educate some mischievous persons who try to equate singing the ‘On Your Mandate’ song, which is used to serenade President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with singing an outlawed anthem in place of a legally approved National Anthem.
“At no point have supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sung ‘On Your Mandate’ as the National Anthem. The National Anthem is sung on every occasion to acknowledge one of our most important national symbols. Afterwards, the President’s supporters serenade him with ‘On Your Mandate’.”
The minister said Obi was entitled to use any song for political purposes, including the country’s former anthem, but maintained that it should be performed only before or after the officially recognised National Anthem.
Keyamo added, “No one is preventing Peter Obi from adopting a song—even the old anthem—as his own. However, it must be sung either before or after the legally recognised National Anthem has received its due recognition.”
He also explained that using musical instruments to announce the President’s arrival or introduce his speech was an established part of presidential protocol.
According to Keyamo, the Police Band may play various instrumental pieces to mark the President’s entrance or address, with the selection depending on the occasion.
He referred to the administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, noting that the Police Band routinely played instrumental music when the presidents arrived at the National Assembly or prepared to address an audience.
“In this case, the Police Band sometimes plays the instrumental version of ‘On Your Mandate’ to herald the President’s speech. This happens after the National Anthem has been played,” he said.
Keyamo also noted that several Nigerian states have adopted their own anthems, emphasizing that these are traditionally performed only after the national anthem.
He concluded that the NDC’s choice to sing the former anthem instead of the current one signaled a secessionist ambition.
“Singing an outlawed anthem in place of the legally approved national anthem by the NDC surely expresses a desire to establish a separate country, which is an element of a secessionist group,” the minister declared.
