NASS move to return old National Anthem divides Nigerians

Nigerians were shocked last Thursday when a bill to replace the nation’s current National Anthem with the former one was introduced in the both Chambers of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill quickly passed its first, second, and third readings that same day.

One of the most prominent voices opposing the hasty passage of the bill altering the National Anthem on Monday was Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Fagbemi is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.

He informed the National Assembly that legislative discussion alone should not be used to pass legislation pertaining to the National Anthem.

At a one-day public hearing on a bill to reinstate Nigeria’s previous national anthem, the AGF made this statement.

The Senators’ attitude and the AGF’s are directly at odds.

According to the global standard, Fagbemi cautioned against passing the national anthem law without sufficient consultation with the people through a plebiscite or referendum.

He said: “In some cases, the national anthem emerges from open national competition among interested citizens. In other instances, the proposed national anthem is subjected to a plebiscite or referendum before its eventual adoption or declaration.

“The essence of the foregoing is to secure the buy-in and confidence of the people and to ensure that the anthem meets their collective aspirations and suits their contemporary socio-political conditions.

“Against the background of the foregoing, I am of the considered opinion that the revered issue of the choice of a national item should not come into being only by legislative fiat or presidential proclamation alone.

“Consequently, it is my considered view that the decision to change Nigeria’s national anthem, whether by replacing it with the old one or a new one, should be subjected to a wider process of citizen participation through zonal public hearings, resolutions of the Federal Executive Council, Council of State National and State Assemblies.

“The outcome of this process is bound to be a true reflection of the wishes of the generality or majority of Nigerians.”

Similarly, rather than restricting it to the alteration of the national anthem, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, Minister of Information and National Orientation, suggested that the scope be enlarged to cover a robust topic on national identity.

The Minister pointed out that several phrases of the previous national anthem do not make total sense. He was speaking on behalf of Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

“The issue of the national anthem is just a sub-sect. What we should be looking at is the National Identity Act.

“The challenge we have today is that we do not value national identity, of which the national anthem is one aspect. It is not about singing in schools; it is about learning it and imbibing it,” he said.

Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, cautioned the National Assembly about passing the law too quickly and demanded more consultations before approving and endorsing any proposed national anthem.

In his view, the National Assembly ought to broaden the range of participants in the process of formulating an Act of this kind that would be widely embraced.

Nonetheless, he was in favour of replacing the nation’s existing national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” with “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” which was first played in October 1960.

He claimed that this action was long overdue because Nigerians’ love and fervour for their country are not sufficiently sparked by the current National Anthem, which was approved in 1978, and lacks the necessary gravitas.

He claims that Nigeria won’t be the first nation in the world to play the old national anthem instead of the current one, as more than 20 other nations have done so at various points in the past, including Russia, Austria, Chile, France, Saudi Arabia, China, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, and so on.

The former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, or APGA, Maxi Okwu, is among those who have shouted blue murder over the development.

He concurred that in order to pursue a matter that has no influence on the reduction of hunger and insecurity in the country, politicians have abandoned crucial issues of economic hardship and insecurity, which have forced millions of Nigerians into utter poverty.

He characterised the actions as a form of inactivity and lack of focus on the part of the lawmakers. “It is such an irrelevant issue that they have time for such diversionary activity. I am shocked that the Bill passed the first, second and third reading on the same day.”

“Look at the level of emergency in the country. Look at the level of hunger, anger and frustration in the land and the lawmakers are talking about the national anthem. We have lost focus completely,” he told ZINGTIE.

The lawmakers are behaving like jesters, according to businesswoman Adebowale Wifred.

For Adebowale Wifred, an entrepreneur, the lawmakers are just acting like jesters.

“They have just decided to chase shadows instead of the substance. But, why are we like this,” he queried.

Additionally, he feels that Nigeria is being hit hard by a variety of issues, from security to religious to economic, and he laments that lawmakers have chosen to ignore all of those and advocate for the reinstatement of the previous national anthem. This has caused millions of Nigerians to suffer greatly.

“Will that put food on the table of any Nigeria? Will it stop the banditry, the kidnapping, the wanton spilling of blood across the country? Why can’t we be serious in this country for once?

“Nigeria is at the verge of collapse and all the lawmakers could think of is how to return the old national anthem. People are dying of hunger; bandits are riding roughshod on Nigerians; Fulani herdsmen have prevented farmers from going to farm and Nigerians are facing acute food crisis but our lawmakers do not want to do anything about that.

“It is how to return the old national anthem that they are concerned about. We are finished in this country,” he said in an interview with ZINGTIE.

A social worker named Mrs. Vivian James also reacted to the incident by supporting the lawmakers.

She feels that the former national anthem’s lyrics did a better job of bringing Nigerians together than the new one does.

“I think the lawmakers are right. The old national anthem makes more meaning in terms of uniting Nigerians, particularly the verse, ‘though tribe and tongue may differ; in brotherhood we stand.

“You know that Nigeria is made up of several ethnic tribes with many languages. As such, the country needs an anthem that promotes unity in every ramification and I think the old national anthem is just apt.

“The current national anthem does not promote unity in diversity and that is what the country needs at this material point in time. So, I support the move to revert to the old anthem,” she stated.

Barrister Marcellus Onah believes that Nigerians are not getting what they deserve from their lawmakers.

He feels that Nigerians are burdened with a great deal of challenges, for which lawmakers are supposed to provide long-lasting answers through legislation. However, he bemoaned the fact that these crucial concerns that may have a good impact on people’s lives have been entirely neglected.

“What are we even talking about? How can anybody be talking about the national anthem as the problem in Nigeria today? Nigerians are suffering; people cannot no longer feed because inflation has gone to such a level that our Naira is valueless.

“There is insecurity everywhere ranging from kidnapping, banditry to Boko Haram insurgency and farmers/herders clashes.

“Corruption is almost crippling the economy and bringing the country to its knees, yet the lawmakers have chosen to waste their energy on mere national anthems.

“I just wonder how reverting to the old national anthem would solve the problem of corruption which is almost becoming a norm in the system. How will that solve the exchange rate issue in the land which has affected the price of virtually all imported items in Nigeria, even the locally produced goods?

“How will that solve the problem of hunger in the land? How will it arrest the issue of insecurity that has made life so miserable for almost everybody in Nigeria today?

“I think our lawmakers should be made to know that Nigerians are suffering and they are required to churn out legislation that would bring succor to the people at this point in time,” he noted.

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