Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that the reintroduced national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” could have prevented banditry and insecurity if it had remained the country’s anthem.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives recently passed the National Anthem Bill 2024, which reverts the national anthem back to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
This anthem was initially replaced in 1978 by the current anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots.” The bill, which quickly passed both its first and second readings on the same day, received assent from President Bola Tinubu, thus officially reinstating the old anthem.
During a visit to the Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja, Akpabio emphasized that the reinstated anthem would promote unity, patriotism, and love among Nigerians.
He addressed critics who consider the reintroduced anthem a relic of colonialism, arguing that such views stem from a lack of historical understanding and legal knowledge.
Akpabio explained that in 1959, a panel consisting of Nigerians was established to gather global input on the national anthem, leading to the approval of “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
He asserted that if the country had retained this anthem, issues like banditry might have been avoided, as the anthem encourages seeing one’s neighbor as a brother, fostering a sense of community and mutual respect.
Additionally, Akpabio revealed that over 30,000 Nigerian students have been selected to benefit from a new student loan scheme. He highlighted the significance of the Student Loan Bill, which allows children from poor and underprivileged backgrounds to pursue higher education without financial strain. Akpabio regarded this bill as one of the most crucial pieces of legislation passed by the tenth Assembly.
He elaborated, “One of the most important bills for the tenth Assembly was the bill sent to us by President Bola Tinubu. The Student Loan Bill enables vulnerable Nigerian students, the less privileged, to obtain higher education.
And as I speak to you now, over 30,000 Nigerian students have already been selected to benefit from that scheme. That is one of the bills I will say appeal to me the most.”
