By Emmanuel Nduka
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu on Wednesday gave his assent to the National Anthem Bill 2024 reverting the country to the old national anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee”.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, revealed this at a joint session of the National Assembly marking the Silver Jubilee Of Nigeria’s 4th Republic on Wednesday morning.
Tinubu is expected at the joint session.
Akpabio said the sitting is primarily to launch the new national anthem, explaining that the President will not be making a speech because he has to leave to launch the Abuja metro line.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives had previously passed the bill at separate sittings.
Amid critical economic and security issues trouncing the country, Heritage Times HT reports that the bill has been largely criticized by Nigerians, many of whom have deemed it as “misplaced priority”.
Nigerians are also expressing concerns that the old, but now new anthem, which was written by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate residing in Nigeria, echoes colonial vestige.
