Nigeria: Buhari pays tribute to national pledge composer

Adedoyin, 83, was a princess from the Iji ruling house of Saki in Oyo State, a renowned academic and profesor at the University of Lagos, and a consultant for the United Nations. Her 1976 Daily Times article titled ‘Loyalty to the Nation, Pledge’ was modified by Olusegun Obasanjo, the head of state at the time, who decreed it as the national pledge.

The pledge is recited immediately after the country’s national anthem is played and reads as follows: 

“I pledge to Nigeria my country. To be faithful, loyal and honest.To serve Nigeria with all my strength. To defend her unity and uphold her honour and glory. So help me God. Amen.”

In 2005, Adeyoyin was presented with the Officer of the Order of the Niger, a national award in Nigeria that celebrates the service of outstanding individuals to the country.

In a statement by Buhari’s special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari celebrated Adedoyin as an “iconic composer” whose “thoughtful and solemn words of the national pledge have become an invocation to every citizen of the country to serve our fatherland with faithfulness, loyalty and honesty.”

Buhari added that the country “will continue to honour the memory of this legend who in 33 words gave us a timeless promise to keep for the nation.” 

The statement also saw Buhari extend his commiseration to Adedoyin’s family and friends, associates, and the government and people of Oyo State, adding that Adedoyin’s works will “remain indelible in our minds”.