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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has explained the use of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign song, On Your Mandate, at official functions, insisting that it is never played in place of Nigeria’s national anthem.
Keyamo said supporters of the President only sing the campaign song after the national anthem has been rendered at public events.
The minister stated this in a post on his X account on Sunday while responding to criticism over the use of Tinubu’s campaign song and comparisons with the singing of Nigeria’s former national anthem.
He explained that the national anthem remained the first item at such gatherings, after which supporters sing On Your Mandate to welcome or celebrate the President.
“At no time have supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sung ON YOUR MANDATE IN PLACE of the National Anthem. At every occasion, the NATIONAL ANTHEM is always sung as a mark of recognition of one of our most important national symbols, and then the President is serenaded by his supporters with ON YOUR MANDATE,” he said.
Keyamo also defended the Police Band’s use of the instrumental version of the song to announce Tinubu’s arrival at public functions or when he is about to address an audience.
According to him, the practice follows established presidential protocol, under which the Police Band plays an instrumental piece when the President arrives at an event or prepares to speak.
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He cited the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, saying similar musical arrangements were used to herald their arrival at the National Assembly and other public gatherings.
The minister added that the instrumental version of On Your Mandate is played only after the national anthem has been performed.
He further noted that some states have their own anthems, which are also rendered after the national anthem during official functions.
Keyamo, however, maintained that the use of a campaign or state anthem should be distinguished from singing an outlawed national anthem in place of the legally recognised one.
He said the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, was free to adopt any song, including the former national anthem, for his campaign or personal use, provided it was not performed in place of the current national anthem.
The minister also accused the NDC of promoting secessionism, arguing that singing the former national anthem instead of the legally approved one suggested a desire to establish a separate country.
“Singing an outlawed anthem IN PLACE of a legally approved NATIONAL ANTHEM by the NDC is surely an expression of a desire to have a separate country, and that is an INGREDIENT OF A SECESSIONIST GROUP,” Keyamo said.
