Tinubu signs bill seeking to revert to old national anthem ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ into law

Following the passage by the National Assembly, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, signed the bill seeking to reintroduce the old national anthem ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ into law.

The senate president, Godswill Akpabio, while announcing this at the joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday, said the president signed the bill into law on Wednesday morning.

The senate president also said Tinubu would flag off the recital of the old national anthem during a joint sitting of the national assembly today.

The old national anthem is themed ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’. The one used since 1978 is titled ‘Arise, O Compatriots’.

However, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed that President Tinubu will not deliver a “State of the Nation” address as earlier announced because today is not designated as official Democracy Day while apologising for the earlier miscommunication on the subject.

The story so far

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday approved the National Anthem Bill 2024.

It was gathered that the bill seeks to reinstate the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”

It was also learned that the bill cleared both its first and second readings and now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s signature to become law.

The Informant247 had last Thursday reported how a bill to revert to the old national anthem ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ passed its third reading at the House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Prof Julius Ihonbvere, the House Majority Leader, underwent an accelerated consideration on the floor of the House before passage.

The bill’s passage came despite opposition by the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda, and some other lawmakers.