National Anthem’s composer, Benedict Odiase, dies in his sleep

The man who composed Nigeria’s National Anthem, Pa. Benedict Odiase is dead. He died on Tuesday night in his sleep at his Oregun, Lagos home. His transition, which occurred a few hours to the death of yet another legendary singer, Pa. Fatai Rolling Dollars, left Nigerians in mourning mood.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan had described Pa Odiase as a courageous police officer who lived an exemplary life, and who had in death, bequeathed an indelible legacy to the nation which would continue to inspire present and future generations of Nigerians to greater heights of accomplishments’.

With the death of two great artistes under 24 hours, the Nigerian entertainment sector is once again bereaved, even as the country has recorded the loss of prominent artistes in the recent past.

And so death has struck again, forcing another music legend to take his final walk. This time, it snatched Pa Odiase whose name was probably not reckoned with, but whose legacy is inextricably engrained in the very fabric of our national Identity.

The Sun