anthem Pa Benedict Odiase is dead.CKN
Nigeria learnt he died last night in his
sleep.We here reproduces one of the last
interviews Pa Odiase granted.
One of the greatest fears of Pa Benedict Odiase
(MON) is publicity. Although, he should be in
the public glare, as the composer of the words
making up the Nigerian national anthem, he
prefers the quiet life his Oregun, Lagos
residence avails him.
But like a golden fish,
there was renewed interest in the media to get
this man to speak about his life, which was
buoyed by the fact that Nigeria turns 52 years
today as a nation, as well as the recent
revelation by the Musical Copyrights Society
Nigeria, MCSN, that he had been handed
royalties for his work being exploited at various
locations in the world. That spawned curiosity
on the state of his well-being. Is he languishing
in penury like numerous other heroes of our
nationalism? How much help does he need
from the government? The work he did in 1978
is, undoubtedly, one of the most sung lyrics in
Nigeria. A hero by all standards, Pa Odiase
retired in 1992 as a Deputy Commissioner of
Police after being the Director of Music with the
Nigeria Police Band. He shared some insights
into this noble endeavour with NGOZI
EMEDOLIBE (National Mirror Newspaper).
Many young Nigerians would like to know
the origin of the National Anthem which is
very popular today?
I composed the music titled “Arise O
Compatriots” in May 1978. The words (lyrics)
were made available by officials of the Federal
Ministry of Information in an open competition.
Did the government provide the words for
you to play with?
It was an open competition, but apart from
being an open competition, composers were
guided that the music must not be more than
two stanzas; that explains why the National
Anthem has only two stanzas.
When did you join the police?
I joined the Nigeria Police Force in March 1954
and served in the force based on instructions
from the Police High Command. I was not
commissioned by the Federal Government of
Nigeria or any of its departments or agencies
specifically for the purpose of writing and
composing the anthem. As I said earlier, I was
never commissioned by the Federal
Government of Nigeria specifically to compose
the anthem; it was open to all Nigerians. I sent
in my entry in May 1978 in a private capacity
and not as a government employee.
What happened after the entries were made?
I was not consulted formally in writing before
the work was adopted as the Nigerian National
Anthem, but it was verbally announced that my
composition was adjudged as the one selected
by the Supreme Military Council (SMC) at the
time. All individual entries were sent to the
Federal Ministry of Information, Lagos. The
entries were shortlisted to only three as
announced by Mr. Christopher Oyesiku, then
the leader of the Federal Radio Corporation of
Nigeria (FRCN) Choir. The shortlisted entries
were those of Professor Laz Ekwueme,
Professor Akin Euba, then of the University of
Lagos and my humble self.
How much were you paid by the SMC for that
adoption?
When the composition was formally
chosen as the Nigeria National Anthem on
October 1, 1978, there was no immediate
reward or commendation. I retired from the
Force in 1992 as a Deputy Commissioner of
Police.
Did you cede the right of the works to the
Federal Government?
I have never ceded rights or interest in the
composition either by writing or otherwise to
the Federal Government. I have the National
Honour of Member of the Order of the Niger
(MON) given to me in December, 2001. The
award was given to me in recognition of my
outstanding contribution to the growth and
development of music in the Nigeria Police
Force as attested to by my citation and not
because of the composition of the National
Anthem.
Who administers the rights at the moment?
I have transferred my intellectual/ copyright
interest in the work, “Arise O Compatriot” being
used as the Nigerian National Anthem to the
Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN) from
the Performing Rights Society of United
Kingdom, for protection since 1998. This
decision to accede my rights to MCSN has paid
off handsomely as the society has protected my
work and paid royalties to me in hard
currencies from the usage (exploitation) of my
composition around the world and locally.
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