National Anthem now National Prayer – Nigerian govt

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the third stanza of the National Anthem as the National Prayer of the country.

FEC also approved that the first stanza of the National Anthem should be rendered at all official functions, while the three stanzas should be reserved for special occasions such as Independence Day, Democracy Day, the inauguration of the National Assembly, Children’s Day, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, and Workers’ Day.

This development was made known by the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, while briefing the press on the ongoing programs of the agency nationwide at the NOA office in Umuahia, Abia State, on Tuesday.

The NOA DG, who was represented by Mrs Theresa Maduekwe, explained that his office, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, submitted several proposals seeking to enhance national value orientation and character, and all the memoranda were approved by FEC.

According to Mallam Issa-Onilu, NOA, as the custodian of national symbols, was approved to be the source of all official symbols to ensure standardization.

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He noted that September 16 was approved to be observed as National Symbols Enlightenment Day, while citizenship studies are to be made a compulsory component of the Nigerian educational system from primary to secondary school levels.

He further said that FEC approved the mandatory inclusion of the charter as a component of pre-resumption retreats for Federal Executive Council members, National Assembly members, the Judiciary, and other government appointees, among other approvals.

The agency urged Nigerians to key into various Federal Government economic transformation and social intervention programs, stating that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration removed fuel subsidies to redirect funds toward more sustainable economic initiatives, adding that the previous administration before Tinubu did not budget for subsidies in 2023.

Some of the intervention programs, according to the NOA DG, include the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund, Student Loan Scheme, Special Purpose Vehicle, Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiatives, Agricultural and Food Security Initiatives, among others.

Also speaking, the Abia State Director of NOA, Mrs Regina Iroha, said that her agency is embarking on mass sensitization of Abia residents on the policies and programs of the Federal Government and the need to embrace them, as well as the importance of sustaining peace and unity in the country.