According to the agency, the directive, given by its Director General Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, is part of its efforts to ensure a seamless transition to the new national anthem which is part of the national identity project being pursued to promote national cohesion, unity and a sense of patriotism.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has directed all Community Orientation and Mobilization Officers in the 774 local government to commit the newly signed national anthem to memory by Monday, June 3, 2024.
According to the agency, the directive, given by its Director General Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, is part of its efforts to ensure a seamless transition to the new national anthem which is part of the national identity project being pursued to promote national cohesion, unity and a sense of patriotism.
The Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers (COMOS) are the agency's lead officers in the local governments whose roles are primarily to enlighten citizens at the grassroots level of government policies, programmes and activities.
According to the agency, it is also working closely with the National Union of Teachers (NUT) to ensure that schools across the country are mobilised to start using the current national anthem.
A statement issued by the NOA Deputy Director of Press, Paul Odenyi, on Thursday, quoted the DG as saying, "We are excited to embark on this new chapter in our national history.
"We believe that this new national anthem will inspire a sense of pride and unity among Nigerians, and we are committed to ensuring that every citizen has access to it."
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday assented to the bill that reverted Nigerians to the use of 'Nigeria We Hail Thee,' its former national anthem.
The NOA DG in the circular urged all community officers to take the directive seriously and to make every effort to learn the new national anthem by the specified deadline "as you would be the grassroots marshals for the implementation of this new policy of government".
NOA as the custodian of the nation's symbols has the mandate to promote and preserve the integrity of all national icons including the national anthem, it noted.