Senate Plenary: Bill Seeking Return To Old National Anthem Scales Second Reading

A bill seeking to make provision for Nigeria to revert to its old national anthem has scaled through second reading at the Senate. The bill sponsored by the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, enjoys overwhelming support from the lawmakers. It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to report back to the house in two weeks.

The lawmakers, who appeared unanimous in support of the bill, argued that it would promote better symbol for unity, peace and prosperity, compared to the current one. After a closed door session to debate on the bill, the lawmakers asserted that the current national anthem is a product of the military junta, decreed by the military and therefore should be discarded to adequately capture the nations democratic values, integrity and principally foster commitment to nationhood.

The old anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was replaced with the current one “Arise, O Compatriots in 1978. Meanwhile, the the House of Representatives has passed the bill to revert to the old national anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”. The bill was quickly passed through first second and third reading at the lower chamber within minutes.