President Bola Tinubu has signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law, reinstating the old national anthem, "Nigeria, We Hail Thee."
Senate President Godswill Akpabio confirmed this during a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
“This morning, Mr. President signed into an Act of Parliament the newly passed National Anthem Bill 2024,” Akpabio announced.
He also mentioned that President Tinubu, who was present at the session, would not be delivering a speech as he needed to leave to launch the Abuja metro line.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had previously passed the legislation to replace "Arise, O Compatriots" with "Nigeria, We Hail Thee" in separate sittings.
Following the President's signing of the bill, the joint sitting officially abandoned the anthem in use since 1978 in favor of the reinstated "Nigeria, We Hail Thee."
The lyrics to Nigeria We Hail Thee reads:
Nigeria, we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood, we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honour’d,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.
