There was a mild drama on Tuesday at the 18th Annual Thisday Awards held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as guests at the ceremony kicked against the American National Anthem being sung before the Nigerian anthem.
Guests were already seated when the award organiser, Nduka Obaigbena, owner of Thisday Newspapers, and the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, ushered in Bill Clinton, former American President.
After that, the Master of Ceremony announced that the American Anthem will be sung followed by the Nigerian anthem.
In swift response to the announcement, there was a general condemnation from the guests, who vehemently kicked against the arrangement, insisting that such arrangement was uncalled for and insulting to Nigeria and her citizens.
The guests argued that in Nigeria, the country’s anthem should be sung first as that in America, Americans would never agree to such arrangement.
They demanded a reversal of the national anthem arrangement. A change was effected. The Nigeria national anthem was sung, followed by Ogun State anthem.
The American anthem was eventually not sung at all. The ceremony was in celebration of Nigeria’s best teachers and fifteen teachers were honoured at the event. It was organised by Mr. Obaigbena’s Thisday Newspapers and held in the Ogun State capital.