President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, assented to the law to revert to the old Nigerian national anthem, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed.
Akpabio revealed this while addressing lawmakers at the ongoing joint session of the National Assembly.
The bill sought to replace the current anthem with the former one adopted as the country’s independence on October 1, 1960, but was dropped by the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime in 1978.
The newly re-adopted anthem, which begins with “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” was written by Lillian Jean Williams in 1959 and composed by Frances Berda.
However, some Nigerians have continued to express outrage after the country’s national anthem was changed with little consultation.
The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, while the House of Representatives passed it last Thursday.
In his address at the joint sitting, the Senate President urged Nigerians to familiarise themselves with the new national anthem.
The new national anthem was sung upon President Tinubu’s arrival in the House chamber for the joint session.
“This morning, Mr President signed into an act of Parliament the newly passed national anthem 2024,” the senate president said.
“In our usual tradition, the deputy Senate president and the deputy speaker with the leaders will receive Mr President now and usher him into the chamber for what I call “waka pass”, he added.
Akpabio said the lawmakers will henceforth refer to themselves as brothers and not compatriots contained in the previous national anthem.
“Henceforth, we will not refer to ourselves as dear compatriots, we will refer to ourselves as brothers and as we go forward in battle, whether in the field of sports, in the field of politics, we must hail Nigeria and so we are all saying today that Nigeria, we Hail thee.”
The senate president, thereafter, urged Nigerians to see themselves as brothers and spread the brotherhood spirit among one another.
Speaking on his first anniversary in office, President Tinubu said the anthem symbolised Nigeria’s diversity.
But many have questioned his priorities amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Reacting online, some Nigerians said the country had more pressing problems such as insecurity, rising inflation and a foreign exchange crisis.
X user @Gospel_rxx posted: “A new national anthem is the priority for Tinubu & Co at a time like this, When our people can’t eat, insecurity is rife & life is hell? What a sordid joke!!. Lets see how they implement it…”
Another X user Fola Folayan said it was shameful that parliament had rushed through the bill.
“Changing the Nigerian national anthem, written by a Nigerian, to the song written by colonisers is a stupid decision, and it’s shameful that nobody in the National Assembly thought to stand against it.”
Former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili posted on X that she would never sing the new-old anthem.
“Let it be known to all and sundry that I, Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, shall whenever asked to sing the Nigerian National Anthem [will] sing:”
She then posted the words of “Arise O Compatriots” – the anthem which has been used for the past 46 years.
Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad had an interesting take as Nigerians continue to debate the issue on social media.
“After the change of our national anthem, some people are now calling for the name Nigeria and the national flag to be changed as well. What do you think? Should we keep the name Nigeria?”
But Tahir Mongunu, chairman of the parliamentary committee which pushed the bill through, dismissed the widespread criticism, saying it was “apt, timely and important”.
“It will undoubtedly inspire a zeal for patriotism and cooperation. It will promote cultural heritage. Changing the national anthem will chart a path to greater unity,” Tahir said.
