How British Expatriate Lillian Wrote ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’

The original anthem, “Nigeria, we Hail Thee,” reinstated by President Bola Tinubu was written by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate in 1959.

Williams won a prize for writing the Anthem’s lyrics, while the composer, Frances Berda (a ballet musician) won a government contest to compose an anthem with an offering prize of £1,000.

“Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the national anthem, marks a return to the country’s original anthem adopted at Independence in 1960.

However, the adoption of the anthem was met with criticism from Nigerians who felt that the winning entries should have been chosen from among Nigerian submissions.

The Anthem was further dropped in 1978 by the then-military administration of Olusegun Obasanjo.

It was used from 1960 until 1978 when it was replaced by “Arise, O Compatriots”, written by a team of Nigerian authors and composers.

The Reintroduced Anthem has been in use for 48 years, making it Nigeria’s longest-serving anthem.

Some argued that the return to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” may require a new generation of Nigerians to become familiar with the Anthem’s history and importance.