Meet Professor Filicia Adedoyin, The Woman That Wrote The National Pledge
Indeed You alone know Yourself by Your internal potency O Supreme Person Origin of all Lord of all beings God of Gods Lord of the universe The Supersoul You are the Supreme Primal Objective You are the ultimate resting place of the universe You are inexhaustible and You are the oldest You are the maintainer of the eternal religion, the Personality of Godhead Oh master of the senses Oh Primal Lord O Limitless One God of Gods Refuge of the universe You are the invincible source The cause of all causes You are the knower of everything and all that is knowable You are the supreme refuge above the material modes O limitless form This whole cosmic manifestation is pervaded by You O unbounded power You are the master of limitless might You are all-pervading and thus You are everything Omniscient The ancient The Ruler of the whole world Minuter than the atom The supporter of all Of form inconceivable Effulgent like the Sun and Beyond the darkness There is nothing whatsoever higher than you You are the Sapidity in Water The Light in the Moon and the Sun You are the syllable OM in all the Vedas Sound in ether You are the Virility in men You are the sweet fragrance in earth and the brilliance in fire You are the life in all beings The austerity in the austere You are the eternal seed of all beings The intelligence of the intelligent You are the Splendor of the Splendid You are the Strength of the Strong Guest

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Meet Professor Filicia Adedoyin, The Woman That Wrote The National Pledge

Meet Professor Filicia Adedoyin, The Woman That Wrote The National Pledge

5 years ago

~6.3 mins read

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.
If you are reading this line now, then you indeed just finished reciting the Nigeria National Pledge of allegiance. The national pledge is usually recited immediately after the singing of the Nigerian national anthem, in schools and other public functions within the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

The national pledge which was adopted in 1976 has remained one of the binding forces holding Nigeria together as a nation by imbuing upon the citizenry a genuine sense of patriotic obligation to the progress and unity of Nigeria. 
Even though words will not be enough to describe the contributions of the national pledge towards the sustainability of Nigeria's sovereignty, very little is known about the woman conceived and imprinted the wordings of this great pillar of national unity. 
Her name as verified from Wikipedia.org is Prof (Mrs.) Felicia Adebola Adedoyin. Professor Felicia Adedoyin was born in Shaki, Shaki West Local Government Area of Oyo State on the 6th of November 1938. She is a princess and one of six children from the Iji ruling house of Shaki. 
What led to her writing the national pledge? 
Professor Adedoyin was compared to write the national pledge due to the pressure she received from a question she was asked by her children. Her children were already familiar with reciting the Oath of Allegiance in their school in the United States and also the State Pledge in Achimotu School in Accra Ghana. 
Out of childhood curiosity and vehemence, they inquired to know why they didn't recite any pledge while they were in Nigeria. Their mother, not willing to deceive them told them the bitter truth that their fatherland had no National Pledge.

This eventually translated into the major challenge that propelled her to compose a National Pledge for Nigeria and she finally achieved it in June 1976 while she was just 38 years old. 
Her new creativity was featured in the Daily Times of July 15, 1976, in an article titled "Loyalty to the Nation, Pledge". Her work was eventually presented to General Olusegun Obasanjo, the then Head of State who accepted and modified the work. 
In September 1976, General Obasanjo degreed that all school children should recite Pledge in their assemblies daily. Obasanjo testified to this in his book " Not My Will" (1990, pg. 118). 
It would be unfair for you to leave this page without dropping a word of respect to this great Heroine of our nation. Also, remember to share this post with others.