On Wednesday, May 29, 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill to law, effectively resorting to the former anthem titled, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’.
The anthem was written by a British citizen, Liliam Williams in 1959, while it was composed by Frances Berda, and it served as the nation’s anthem from independence in 1960 until it was replaced by ‘Arise, O Compatriots’ in 1978.
The reversal came as a surprise to many patriotic Nigerians who did not anticipate it.
The bill, which was simultaneously introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives penultimate Thursday, received an accelerated consideration and passage.
The speed with which both chambers of the National Assembly considered and passed the bill at a time Nigerians are facing more pressing issues occasioned by rising inflation and security challenges, leaves much to be desired.
The bill ought to have been subjected to a public hearing to allow various stakeholders to make inputs into its desirability or otherwise.
At present, the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, a civil society organization comprising lawyers, has announced that it is filing a lawsuit at the Federal High Court to challenge the newly signed National Anthem Act, 2024, which led to the reintroduction of the old National Anthem, ‘Nigeria we hail thee’.
ALDRAP, which announced the decision in a statement signed by Tonye Clinton Jaja, its Secretary, on Friday, said the enactment of the law which ushered in the new national anthem did not follow laid down constitutional provisions.
It is the judgment of many Nigerians that the resolution of the National Assembly to revert to the old National Anthem was a misplacement of priority, and also a sign of disconnection with reality.
The bill to revert to the old National Anthem is an absolute misplacement of priorities and an abuse of legislative privilege, especially given the numerous pressing issues facing the nation that remain unaddressed.
“Changing the National Anthem does not address the urgent issues we face as Nigerians because it doesn’t put food on our tables, it doesn’t create jobs, it doesn’t improve security, it doesn’t provide reliable electricity, it doesn’t provide clean water, it doesn’t provide good roads, or quality healthcare.”
While the National Anthem is a symbol of our heritage, the urgent and concurrent approval of this bill stands in stark contrast to the lack of prioritization and accelerated legislative action on critical national matters.
Issues such as security, economic stability, education, healthcare and infrastructure development are in dire need of attention and resources.
It is profoundly disappointing and frankly outrageous that the National Anthem was prioritized over these vital concerns.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with our current National Anthem that warrants a change.
Not only that, this episode shows how disconnected our legislators are from the challenges of Nigeria that at this critical juncture, they chose to prioritize a needless return to our former National Anthem.
It is disheartening to see Nigeria trapped in a cycle of ineffective leadership.
Our senators, elected to represent the masses, seem disconnected from the pressing needs of the people. Who among the citizens indicated that changing the National Anthem was a priority?
Nigerians are hungry, angry, and deeply disappointed. Trust in the government is at an all-time low.
Changing the National Anthem does not address the urgent issues we face as Nigerians because it doesn’t put food on our tables, it doesn’t create jobs, it doesn’t improve security, it doesn’t provide reliable electricity, it doesn’t provide clean water, it doesn’t provide good roads, or quality healthcare.
The parliament should have consulted widely before tampering with the National Anthem.
Altering the National Anthem without wide consultations is equivalent to an attempt to dissolve Nigeria.
Tampering with or changing the National Anthem or National Pledge of Nigeria should be done after wider public consultation and should be factored in the process of constitutional amendments.
Instead of searching for far more rational and scientifically relevant instruments of problem solving, our lawmakers think an empty gesture of nostalgia offers an easy route.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and his colleagues at the National Assembly should know that changing Nigeria’s National Anthem won’t solve the myriad of challenges confronting the country.
They should understand that the re-introduction of the old anthem is the least of what the country needs at the moment.
Changing the National Anthem in Nigeria will not solve any of Nigeria’s problems, not least the challenge of building a nation.
The National Assembly should understand that Nigeria needs quality leadership capable of providing actions that lead to observable results rather than words rather than a change in its National Anthem.
It is our opinion that Nigeria’s purposeful leadership will birth inclusion, fairness, nation-spirit and justice which the country earnestly yearns for.
What Nigeria and Nigerians need is leadership action, not words, fairness, not prejudice, inclusion, not exclusion, a nation-spirit, not tribal-spirit, justice, not injustice.
The Federal Government must stop focusing on irrelevancies and shadowboxing and instead tackle the pressing issues of the economy and security.
It must give the economic crisis urgent attention. The Federal Government has to work with state governments to break the electricity jinx and fix a workable state police.
A lazy approach to Nigeria’s macroeconomic management would be to continue to tax a collapsing economy, tax citizens who have been robbed of their ability to pay by poor economic policies, and take more loans.
The only options left are getting into massive export and high-volume food production, ensuring import substitutions, and, of course, rooting out corruption.
But this cannot occur unless the enablers, such as electricity and security, are first taken care of.
This will not happen by squandering time and money on trivial side issues that divert attention from the primary, urgent course of action that is required.
Certainly not reversing the National Anthem.
