Connect with us

News

Reps Hurriedly Pass Bill To Revert To Old National Anthem ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’

Published

2 years ago

on

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

 
…as Minority Leader say old anthem will mean a return to colonialism 
 
 
By Gloria Ikibah 
 
 
The House of Representatives on Thursday at plenary hurriedly passed a bill to revert to the old national anthem ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ and get rid of the present one, ‘Arise O’ Compatriots.
 
 
Naijablitznews.com reports that the New national anthem came into existence in 1978 while the old came into existence in 1960.
 
Despite the rejection by majority of the lawmakers who voted against bill, the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, ruled in favour of its passage.
 
The lawmakers thereafter staged a walkout as a sign of their grievances. Naijablitznews.com heard some say “enough is enough, we can’t continue like this”.
 
The bill which was sponsored by the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere,  swiftly passed through first, second reading, considered and approved at the Committee of the Whole and passed for third reading at plenary within one hour of its introduction on the floor of the House. 
 
 
The legislation is titled, “Bill For An Act to Provide for the National Anthem of Nigeria, and for Matters Related Thereto.”
 
 
The bill stipulated that on the date of commencement of the Bill, the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” which is prescribed in the Schedule to the proposed legislation.
 
 
According to the bill, the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shal be a national symbol and sign of authority, and all persons, individuals or corporate entities, shall respect the national anthem and preserve the dignity of the national anthem. 
 
 
The proposed legislation provided that the national anthem shall be performed and sung on occasions such as: opening and closing ceremonies of Federal Executive Council, and State Executives Council meetings, opening and closing of sittings of Legislative Houses in Nigeria and Constitutional oath-swearing ceremonies.
 
 
Others are: “Major celebrations, major award ceremonies, major commemorative ceremonies, national memorial ceremonies and the like, which are organised by MDAs, major diplomatic activities, major sporting events, other occasions as may from time to time, be determined by the minister responsible for education with the consent of the President.”
 
 
It also stated that the performance and singing of the national anthem shall follow the lyrics prescribed by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
 
 
“The new law prescribed that when the national anthem is performed and sung “-(a) those present shall stand and deport respectfully, and 
(b) at flag-raising ceremonies, those present shall face the flag, and uniformed military personnel, Police and other Security personnel are to give a hand salute, and other persons are to look on in respect. 
 
 
“The Ministry responsible for information shall organize the review and approval of the standard for performance of the national anthem, and record the official recording of the national anthem to be played. The standard and official recorded versions of the national anthem shall be published on the Federal Government of Nigeria’s website. 
 
 
“Primary and Secondary schools shall make the lyrics of the national anthem part of the civic education and organise pupils and students to learn the national anthem.The second stanza of the former national anthem shall be the national prayer,” the bill reads further.
 
 
Debating the bill, Rep. Ihonbvere said Nigeria is at the stage of redesigning the way forward.
 
 
According to him, the old Anthem, encompasses, contains, exudes the kind of energy, resourcefulness and a sense of vision that he believe is good for Nigeria.
 
 
“Mr Speaker the old Anthem not only begins by telling us of the pride to serve our nation which is what is required right now when  people are “Japa-ing” left, right and centre. But it goes on to assert the sovereignty of our motherland. 
 
 
“Mr Speaker a time comes in the life of every organisation or a nation when the people must sit down look at the past , the present, the future and have the courage, the sense of mission and the sense of nation to define, design the way forward. I believe that Nigeria is at that stage and momentum.
 
 
“Mr Speaker, this bill is straightforward. It is a bill that seeks to enjoin us to at our Anthem as a national symbol and sign if authority. One that will pull us together, will give us hope and courage, a sense of duty to the nation. That does not necessarily deny the reality and that is the main of contemporary societies. They deny reality, they pretend racism doesn’t exist, ethnicity doesn’t exist, poverty doesn’t exist. They rationalise this by looking at GMP, GDP and the reality stares people in the face and that is when you are faced with the realities then you can attack and deal with it frontally. 
 
 
“So it seeks to say that as a people as Nigerians fronti g a new renewed hope moving forward, tackling the rot decay, dislocation and distortion of the past. We should go back to our old national anthem which gives us that energy, that sense of commitment, sense of dedication and a desire to to.move Nigeria forward.
 
 
“I have taken time to look at the old Anthem, the old and the new, and as a Nigerian who have been involved in the struggle to make Nigeria a better place either as a student to the student union movement including  the “Ali must go” movement or as a University teacher having been Secretary, vice chairman and chairman of ASUU or as a pro democracy activity who spent twelve and a half years in self exile”, Rep. Ihonbvere asserted. 
 
 
But the House Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda believes that reverting to the old Anthem would mean going g back to colonialism, which in the first place was the reason for the old national anthem that was written by the colonial masters.
 
 
He stated that whilst it is their function to make laws for the good governance of Nigeria but then for every law, there must be a clear purpose, a clear vision a clear spirit behind the law. 
 
 
The Minority Leader said: “Now if we ask ourselves one question, what is the essence of a national anthem? I will say, just like other national symbols, the national anthen represents the tradition, the history, the beliefs of a nation and its people. Hence it helps evoke feelings if patriotism amongst citizenry and reminds them of their nation’s glory, beauty and rich heritage.
 
 
“So the question I will want to ask is what does this old national anthem reminds us of? What is the history behind the old national anthem that our brother, Honourable professor is asking us to adopt?
 
 
“History dates back to colonialism and why did we go for a new national anthem? It is because we wanted to lose ourselves from that colonial tie and so the country set up a committee to look at the National anthen and a new national anthem amongst competitors which  filed in their suggestions, five of them were picked and put together and that gave us the national anthem that we have today.  Made by Nigerians, composed by Nigerians and proper Nigerian national anthem. 
 
 
Chinda went back to history to educate the parliament on the history of the Old national anthem. 
 
 
“Let me also remind us that the old national anthem was authority by Lilian Jean Williams and composed by Francis Banda bother of them Britton. And after independence we tried as much as possible to Nigerianise our actions.
 
 
“So sir, today we are taking ourselves back to that old National Anthem. Incidentally I will even ask again. Is this very important at the particular juncture in our national life? What value will it add to us as a nation? I think that these questions need to be answered. Nigerians looking up to us for more fundamental issues that will cause proper change. 
 
 
“Like Prof took us to history lane that great men make history. What isbthe history that we are about to make? History that will change this country or history that will take us backwards. There are several questions that are left unanswered. 
 
 
“So I will stand this morning or this afternoon as a Nigerian to say NO to this act. I stand to oppose it and I pray that we look atvit critically and urge the sponsor, the House Leader to withdraw this bill and perhaps take a second look at it and represent same if necessary” Rep Chinda stated. 
 
 
Rep. Ahmed Satomi, who also spoke again the bill as he believes that at this time of our nation we should be talking Information Technology and not national anthem, as he said Nigerians are looking up to the parliament.
 
 
“Nigerians are looking up to us regarding this bill because many of us in our early 40s don’t know this national anthem. I don’t know how this bill on the national anthem will affect the common man. Let’s be realistic how this will help the government to stop hunger, banditry, or improve security. Let’s do what is beneficial to the common man and this Honourable chamber is the only for now standing forbthe common man of Nigeria. 
 
 
“So Nigerians are looking up to us, I concur with the Minority Leader. Let’s look at something that will bring a development in the eyes of the international communities to Nigeria.
 
 
“People are discussing Nano Technology, Internet and we are still discussing national anthem”, Reps Satomi asserted. 
 
 
But Rep. Ahmed Jaha is of the opinion that Nigerians are not happy with the happening and therefore there is need reverting to the old national anthem as the current anthem is not yielding positive results. 
 
 
According to Jaha, you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you that people are not happy on their faces.
 
 
He said: “It has been accepted widely and scientifically proven that if you keep doing one thing without results, it is an indication of lunacy and it may not lead to success. We are all aware that the national anthem we have been singing is not what what we have been practicing as Nigerians. 
We say arise, O compatriots! Are we patriots? Who are the compatriots? Do we normally place our national interests above our individual interests? 
 
 
“Secondly, to serve our fatherland with love, strength and faith. None of these is happening. There is no love in the services that we have been providing because it is personal interest first before national interest . That is why people are even leaving the country to go and show love to other countries of the world. To show their strength, their intellectual capacity, educational pedigree. How many Nigerians have faith in the country? Most Nigerians have lost confidence, faith in the country.
 
 
“Thirdly, the labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain. Are they not in vain? My father is a retired Nigerian army officer. His pension has not been paid promptly. And you are here telling people that their own effort, sacrifices should be taken into cognizance . Just payment of pension, we have not been doing that. 
 
 
“Section 5 of the Contributory Pension Act is clear. That there must be group insurance cover for each and every employee of Nigeria and it must three times the total annual emolument of that employee. How many civil servants benefit from this immediately their death or permanent disability?”, he stated.she 
 
 
After the debate the Deputy Speaker put it to a vote and ruled in favour of the Bill, passing it for second reading and the House immediately considered the bill in the committee of the whole and returned back to plenary and the bill passed for third reading.
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Disclaimer: NDLEA alerts public on fraudulent auction offers impersonating officials

Published

1 hour ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has drawn attention to a fraudulent scheme orchestrated by criminal elements and scammers targeting unsuspecting members of the public.

The fraudsters have been found using the names of top NDLEA officials, most notably the Secretary to the Agency, Barrister Shadrach Haruna, to issue fake private letters and messages offering cheap forfeited vehicles for sale on auction.

The public is hereby notified that these offers are a complete scam. The Agency wishes to categorically state that these fraudulent offers are a malicious gimmick designed solely to defraud targeted individuals of their hard-earned money.

No official of the Agency has the mandate to privately offer, allocate, or sell forfeited vehicles or any other seized assets to individuals. Vehicles and other assets forfeited as proceeds of drug crimes are strictly auctioned through public processes managed by appointed, government-registered auctioneers. Any legitimate auction exercise is widely publicized in national dailies and through the Agency’s official channels, in line with established legal and public procurement guidelines.

Advertisement

Members of the public are strongly urged to discountenance, ignore, and report any such private letters, text messages, or social media offers claiming to originate from Barrister Shadrach Haruna or any other NDLEA official.

The NDLEA remains committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in all its operations. Do not fall victim to these criminal elements. If you are approached with such fraudulent offers, please report immediately to the nearest NDLEA command or via our official communication channels.

Continue Reading

News

2027 reggae dance: New ADC presidential candidate emerges

Published

2 hours ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Nafiu Gombe has picked Professor Chris Uba as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

The party disowned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its flag bearer.

The group said the party had already completed its presidential nomination process in line with its constitution and the Electoral Act, adding that Uba emerged as the recognized candidate after all required procedures were concluded.

Advertisement

The faction also disowned the National Working Committee headed by former Senate President David Mark, saying it has no constitutional or legal authority to act on behalf of the party.

It maintained that the recognized leadership of the ADC remains in charge of the party’s affairs.

According to the statement released on Wednesday, the clarification became necessary to stop attempts to create confusion about the party’s position ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The group said the ADC had not entered into any alliance, merger or coalition with any political party.

Advertisement

added that the party remains independent and intends to contest the elections with its own structure, manifesto and leadership.

The faction said it believes Uba has the experience, character and capacity to lead the country if elected in 2027.

It also warned Atiku against presenting himself as the ADC’s presidential candidate, saying such a claim is false and could mislead party members and the public.

The group added that the ADC would not allow its platform to be used by politicians pursuing personal ambitions or by coalition groups seeking to take over the party’s structure.

Advertisement

It said every constitutional and legal step would be taken to protect the party from what it described as unauthorised use of its name and platform.

The faction also dismissed reports suggesting that there were plans to stop the ADC from participating in the 2027 elections, expressing confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission and the country’s electoral process.

It said the party is preparing to present candidates for the presidency, governorships, National Assembly, state assemblies and local government elections across the country.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

ANGER: Three Brothers Face Murder Charge for Beating man to death for dating Their Mom

Published

2 hours ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

Three brothers have appeared before the Mbabane Magistrates Court in Swaziland on a murder charge following the brutal de@th of their mother’s boyfriend.

The accused, Mlondi Mbuli, 25, Sakhelwe Mbuli, 18, and Lindani Mdziniso, 23, all from the Hholoshini area in Eswatini’s Hhohho Region, are alleged to have fatally assaulted Njabulo Ngwenya on June 28, 2026.

According to police, the brothers att@cked Ngwenya with bricks, stones, sticks, open hands, and kicks to different parts of his body. Investigators allege the assa¥lt was motivated by the brothers’ belief that Ngwenya was having a relationship with their biological mother.

Court records state that the incident was reported after Sibongile Motsa, also from Hholoshini, informed police that she discovered her son, Njabulo Ngwenya, lying deed inside her sister’s house at about 1 a.m. on June 28, 2026.

Advertisement

The matter came before Principal Magistrate Sfiso Vilakati during the trio’s initial court appearance.

The three defendants have been remanded in custody until July 10, 2026, pending committal of the case to the High Court for further proceedings.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Naija Blitz News