The Senate has passed a bill seeking to return to the old national anthem of “Nigeria, we hail thee”.
The anthem, composed in the wake of the country's independence on October 1, 1960, and dropped for the current anthem- Arise, O compatriots- during Olusegun Obasanjo's military regime in 1978, had also been passed by the House of Representatives.
Speaking at a public hearing on an Act for the National Anthem and related matters on Monday, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who was representing Senate President Godswill Akpabio noted "Those who lived through that era recognize its crucial role in our nation’s history, evoking nostalgia and fond memories of our early years.”
He also revealed the national prayer would be the second stanza of the existing national anthem.
The National Anthem Bill 2024 now awaits assenting into law by President Tinubu after blitzing past the first and second reading last week.
