Senate President Godswill Akpabio in an address to the plenary in Abuja on Wednesday, emphasized the significance of the newly reintroduced national anthem in fostering patriotism and addressing the country’s security challenges.
During his speech, Akpabio highlighted the benefits of a recent legislative initiative, stating, “The bill sent to us by President Bola Tinubu on student loan and scholarship programmes will enable vulnerable Nigerian students who are less privileged to obtain higher education… …and as I speak to you now, over 30,000 have been selected to benefit from it. That’s one of the bills that appeals to me the most,” he added.
Akpabio also reflected on the historical context of Nigeria’s national anthems, noting the importance of understanding their origins. “A lot of people are now aware that there was a panel set up in 1959 made up of Nigerians to receive input from all over the world. So, when people say we’re bringing a colonial anthem, please look into the history of ‘Nigeria we hail thee’. If we kept to that national anthem, we probably wouldn’t have banditry today in Nigeria, because if you take your neighbour as your brother, you won’t want to kill him or go to the farm to behead your brother,” he said.
The Federal Government recently unveiled the approved version of Nigeria’s reintroduced national anthem. This event was led by the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, who unveiled the standardised version of the anthem on Wednesday in Abuja. Issa-Onilu urged Nigerians to pay close attention to the words in lines three and five of the anthem.
This development follows President Bola Tinubu’s signing of the National Anthem Bill 2024 on May 29, 2024, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of his administration. The bill reverts the national anthem from “Arise, O Compatriots” to “Nigeria, we hail thee”. President Tinubu remarked that the anthem “is our diversity, representing all characters and how we blend to be brothers and sisters”.
