By Kennedy Sheyin
The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa has tasked Nigerians on the need to sing the complete national anthem and not just the first stanza.
The minister gave the charged at the graduation lecture of course -34 participants of the National Defence College (NDC) on Monday in Abuja.
Musa said that he had observed that Nigerians sing only one stanza during events, which was often the last one, and neglecting the other two.
“There is no reason for that to become the norm, what hurry are you in? What could be so important that you can not take little time to sing the entire anthem?,” he asked.
The minister noted that the anthem was an integral part of the identity of citizens of the country, adding that it also reminded Nigerians that they were one, and as such have to work together to the benefit of Nigeria.
He urged Nigerians to take time out of their schedules and dedicate it to reading the wordings in the national anthem line by line in order to truly understand what the anthem said about the country and its citizens.
“What we need in this country is unity; that is what the anthem tries to teach and imbibe in us the citizens of the country,” he said.
Musa further then commended President Bola Tinubu for the change in the anthem, describing it as a good decision that showed his visionary leadership.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)