“Let’s rename Nigeria to ‘Airegen’, change national flag,” Mike Ozekhome suggests

Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has advocated for the change of name for the country as he expressed his backing for Wednesday’s reinstatement of the previous national anthem.

The National Anthem Bill was signed on Wednesday, changing the anthem from “Nigeria We Hail Thee” to “Arise O Compatriots.”

The legal luminary urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to consider reshaping the image of Nigeria and replacing the national flag as part of an extensive national branding initiative.

In a video shared online, he expressed gratitude for the government’s choice to play the previous national anthem again, describing it as an important and constructive move.

Ozekhome called for the national flag and country name changes – the present green and white Nigerian flag is too bland, he said

He said, “I, as a humble and patriotic pan-Nigerian, I have always looked at these issues from the Nigerian perspective – how we can make our country better than it is now.

“Which was why Mr President, sir, as far back as, Wednesday, July 2, 2014 – 10 years ago – at the plenary session of the National Conference, I moved the motion for the change of our national anthem back to the one of 1960, on our independence.

“That motion was hotly debated by the 492 delegates at the national confab drawn from every spectrum of the Nigerian society and it was carried.

“And indeed nostalgically, the whole plenary session stood up and sang the old national anthem.”

“So, bringing it back is well overdue. It has better lyrics in context and content – like the Senate President said. It is better than the other one,” he added.

“Indeed I wrote a book titled, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ and it was 421 pages. It was launched at that National Conference just before it ended in 2014.

“My arguments are on pages 268 to 271. So, it didn’t start together. I think that when we finally get to Canaanland, this body should give some recognition and appreciation to the National Conference of 2014 chaired by the late Justice Legbo Kutigi with Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi as the deputy.

“Let me also say that it was not the national anthem alone that I said should be brought back. The other two matters I argue should be brought back were – the flag and country name changes – the present green and white Nigerian flag is too bland.

“It’s not just in terms of lacking in colours. It is not inspirational – compare it to that of the US with its tribes and stars representing the fifty states.

“If you look at the flag of South Africa or the UK, you’ll see what I mean. The older flag has the rising sun in the centre which shoots to all the directions of Nigeria – North, South, East and West. Look at the Norfolk flag and the AU.

“At that conference, I also moved that we change the name of Nigeria which appears to be a burden because of the circumstances it came into being January 8, 1878, when Flora Shaw gave her the name ‘Nigeria’ named after ‘Niger Area’.

“Buy both my proposal for the flag change and the name Nigeria to Airegen (spelt backwards) but both were shut down and the one of the national anthem carried,” he added partly.”