Barely a week after the House of Representatives passed the National Anthem Bill, 2024, the Senate also this Tuesday (28/05/24) passed the Bill, to revert to the old National Anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee”.
Presenting the report of the Committee on Judiciary, legal matters and human rights which conducted a public hearing on the Bill yesterday, the Chairman Senator Mohammed Monguno said this is the first time that the national anthem is given a legal backing by the Legislature.
He noted that the purpose of the bill is apt and timely, particularly, at this critical period in the history of Nigeria.
According to Monguno the old anthem would inspire patriotism and provide the necessary platform for the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to sensitize Nigerians as well as promote and strengthen the unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigerians.
The Bill which enjoyed full endorsement from the lawmakers and was passed after due consideration at the Committee of the Whole.
In his remarks the Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio recited the Anthem while thanking the committee for a job well done. The Old National Anthem, Nigeria we hail thee, was adopted as the country’s first National Anthem in October 1st 1960 but was dropped in 1978 by the Olusegun Obasanjo military administration.
