The President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has signed the National Anthem Bill, 2024 reverting to the old national anthem of “Nigeria We Hail thee”.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio announced this on Wednesday, during a joint session of the National Assembly to mark 25 years of uninterrupted democracy.
According to Hobnob News reports, the joint session sang the new national anthem before the arrival of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima among other top government functionaries.
Apparently, the Senate and the House of Representatives had previously passed the legislation to swap the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” at separate sittings.
After the signing of the bill by the President to reintroduce the old national anthem, the joint sitting jettisoned what has been in existence since 1978, to adopt the former (and newly signed) national anthem ‘Nigeria, we hail thee’.
The old anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee”, composed when Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960, has replaced the “Arise, O Compatriots” anthem.
It was also gathered that the new National Anthem was rendered as President Bola Tinubu visited the Naitonal Assembly earlier in the day as part of activities marking his first anniversary.
Addressing the lawmakers before Tinubu came in, Senate President Akpabio explained that the session’s main purpose was to launch the new national anthem, and President Tinubu will not be making a speech as he was to depart to launch the Abuja metro line.
The Senate and the House of Representatives had already passed the bill in separate sessions.
The old anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” was replaced with the current one “Arise, O Compatriots in 1978.
HOBNOB NEWS REPORTS
