- Joins Lawmakers To Sing Anthem
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has signed the National Anthem Bill, 2024 reverting to the old national anthem of “Nigeria We Hail thee”.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio announced this on Wednesday, during a joint session of the National Assembly to mark 25 years of uninterrupted democracy.
The joint session sang the new national anthem before the arrival of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima among other top government functionaries.
The Senate and the House of Representatives had previously passed the legislation to swap the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” at separate sittings.
President Tinubu, upon arrival at the joint sitting of the National Assembly, joined the lawmakers to sing the old but now new anthem
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Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, had announced before the joint sitting that a return to the old national anthem would begin from today, following Tinubu’s assent to the bill to that effect.
Also, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, who co-presided over the sitting, along with Akpabio told members to Google the new anthem so they could recite it correctly.
“Those who are over 59 years old will know the wordings,” he said.
Earlier when it was put to vote, the lawmakers agreed that the band should lead the anthem.
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Meanwhile, Rep. Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), said he was not too keen on the national anthem because it was delivered by the colonial master.
He added that a blend of the old and the new one would have sufficed rather than discarding the old outrightly.
“Since majority agreed that we should revert, I followed what the majority says, but in my own opinion, we could have done a blend of the two.
“The new national anthem was composed by a foreigner, the old one (Arise o compatriot) was composed by a Nigerian and some of the lyrics also invoke the spirit of nationalism.
“This is in recognition of the sacrifice of our heroes’ past
Also speaking, Rep. Akin Rotimi, the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, said that it was a win-win situation as the second stanza of the national anthem would now be used as the national prayer.
He said the national anthem is a source of building patriotism. (NAN)
