Nigerian activist Aisha Yesufu has made a bold declaration that she will always remain seated during the rendition of the re-introduced national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’.
The well-known socio-political activist gained attention after a video of her sitting down while the national anthem was being recited at an event went viral.
In the video, Aisha, who is the co-convener of BringBackOurGirls (BBO), can be seen crossing her legs while the anthem plays, much to the surprise of other guests at the event.
In a separate video that has also been widely circulated, Aisha Yesufu explains her decision not to stand for the new anthem.
She references the country’s ongoing economic and security challenges, suggesting that the National Assembly should focus on more pressing issues instead.
Aisha Yesufu said, “As far as I am concerned, there is no new and old national anthem, there is only one ‘Arise O Compatriot’ and that is what I know.
“If I am at any occasion I will stand up for the national anthem but if they start playing the ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ I will sit down and operate my phone.
“For me, that is an obnoxious law, the National Assembly Assembly has things they should focus on. If they are not ashamed of themselves, we citizens of the country are ashamed on their behalf.
“That is not what they should be focused on. Right now, we have companies that are leaving Nigeria, we are losing a lot, our GDP is going down, and there is no security of lives and properties.
“In the midst of all these, adults who are supposed to sit down in one place, said they want to take Nigeria back, saying Nigeria we hail thee. We have a national anthem”.
