Ahead of the Benin Republic vs Nigeria 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification game, the Super Eagles of Nigeria didn’t recite the new national team which was recently reintroduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On 29 May 2024, President Tinubu signed into law a bill which replaced “Arise, O Compatriots” with “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”, a national anthem that was used from 1960 to 1978.
Since President Tinubu signed it into law, there has been a series of criticism against it as many of the critics believe the timing for the readaptation was inappropriate.
Despite the criticism against the national anthem, the Super Eagles recited it before their game against South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.
Recall that the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification game ended in a 1-1 draw which put the Super Eagles of Nigeria under pressure going into subsequent games.
Interestingly, it was a different ball game in the Super Eagles’ matchday 4 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which was against Benin Republic at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
When the Super Eagles lined up for the game, the ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ National team was played via the public address system of the stadium instead of the new “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” anthem.
At the time of writing, it was not clear whether the old anthem was played out of error or intentionally.
