NOA sets official guidelines for national anthem, pledge rendition
National Orientation Agency NOA
Abdullateef Fowewe
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Friday issued clear directives on the proper protocol for the rendition and recitation of Nigeria’s National Anthem and Pledge.
In the statement titled “Correct Application of the National Anthem,” NOA emphasised, “Recite/Sing only the First Stanza of the National Anthem at all official events. The Third Stanza should be rendered as the National Prayer at the beginning of events.”
The agency further clarified that all three stanzas are reserved for special national occasions such as Independence Day, Presidential Inauguration, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Democracy Day (June 12), and the inauguration of the National Assembly.
Additionally, NOA instructed, “The National Pledge should be recited at the end of an event.”
The agency concluded with a call to patriotism noting, “Let us uphold the dignity and sanctity of our national symbols.”
