The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged Nigerians to always seek permission from the agency before using the National Anthem, News About Nigeria reports.
The Director General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, made this call in a statement on Wednesday.
He noted that the permission for formal approval is necessary to avoid potential misuse or misinterpretation of the national anthem.
According to him, NOA is responsible for preventing all forms of misuse of the country’s national symbols.
Issa-Onilu also revealed that sensitisation campaigns will soon be held across the 36 states of the federation to provide clarity on the agency’s new policies and guidelines.
The NOA boss also addressed the issue of the Nigerian flag, stressing that its official colours remain green, white, and green, with the specific shade of green being Emerald 2.0.
“As custodians of Nigeria’s national symbols, the NOA is tasked with preventing all forms of misuse. Permission must be sought from the agency to avoid misrepresentation,” the statement reads in part.
The DG lamented that past administrations focused too heavily on infrastructure development while neglecting value orientation, which led to the decline of social intervention structures like the Boys’ Scouts, Girls’ Brigade, WAI Brigade, and even the National Orientation Agency itself.
He commended the President for recognising what he described as a gap and supporting the revival of value-based initiatives.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law a bill re-adopting Nigeria’s old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” on the first anniversary of his administration.
