A Comparative Critical Discourse Analysis of Ideology in the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Nigerian National Anthems

Studies on Nigeria’s national anthem have largely considered the old anthem, ‘Arise, O Compatriots’, to identify its stylistic, pragmatic, and discourse features, with limited attention paid to the newly approved national anthem, ‘Nigeria, we hail thee’. This study, therefore, presents a comparative critical discourse analysis of the Nigerian old and newly approved national anthems, examining them as codified institutional discourse with the aim of identifying divergent and shared ideologies and how they are enacted through linguistic means. The data were obtained from the lyrics of the old and new Nigerian national anthems, sourced from official government records and verified archival documents. Drawing on Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis and Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics, the study investigates the anthems to uncover how state ideology is linguistically encoded in a comparative perspective. The study adopts a qualitative approach to show the interconnectedness of language and political power. The findings reveal that the two anthems’ ideological convergence is evident in their shared emphasis on a common national identity, indexed by kinship-related metaphors and collective pronouns; patriotism and service, with lexical items relating to duty and service; positive national values; and an emphasis on freedom and divine intervention. However, the anthems manifest some ideological divergences. For instance, while ‘Nigeria, we hail thee’ suggests optimism, futurism, and acknowledges unity in diversity, ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ appears motivational, emphasizes immediacy, and does not acknowledge the diversity in Nigeria. The analysis reveals that the language of the anthems performs the social work of reconstructing national consciousness. Ultimately, this study contributes to the understanding of institutional communication by demonstrating how state actors deploy specific linguistic strategies within national symbols to legitimize governance, manage transitions, and embody the evolving ideologies of the nation-state.

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