The Senate has passed the National Anthem Bill 2024, aiming to revert to the old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
News About Nigeria reports that this bill, which passed its first and second readings on Thursday, now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent to become law.
The proposed legislation seeks to replace the current national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” with the original anthem composed when Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960.
The old anthem was replaced in 1978 during Olusegun Obasanjo’s military administration.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has said that the public needs to be involved in the decision to change the national anthem.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Monday, Fagbemi argued that such a huge decision should not be made solely by lawmakers or the president.
Fagbemi suggested that the process of selecting a national anthem should involve extensive citizen participation, drawing parallels with other African nations whose anthems symbolise the end of colonial rule.
He noted that many former British colonies replaced “God Bless the Queen” with anthems written by their own citizens.
“It is not out of place for Nigeria to be guided by the process of evolution of a national anthem in other jurisdictions,” Fagbemi said.
He proposed that the process should include zonal public hearings, resolutions from the Federal Executive Council, the Council of States, national and state assemblies, and input from various stakeholders.
Fagbemi concluded, “The outcome of this process is bound to be a true reflection of the wishes of the generality or majority of Nigerians.”
