Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday, posited that the most profound act of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is taking the country back to the old national anthem.
The bill seeking to reintroduce the old national anthem was recently passed by the National Assembly, and Tinubu signed it into law on Wednesday.
Speaking during a joint session of the National Assembly, Akpabio said Nigerians would not refer to themselves just as “mere compatriots,” but as brothers.
“The senators and members have asked me to congratulate you on your first anniversary since your swearing-in to office.
“Me and my brother Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker, have explained the purpose of this visit, and this is what we call ‘Waka pass’ in Nollywood.
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“Out of honour and respect for the national assembly, you said you must pass through the national assembly on your first anniversary in office.
“Of all the significant things you have done, the most profound is to take us back to our genealogy — the genealogy of our birth — that though we may belong to different tribes, though we may have different tongues, in brotherhood we stand.
“Henceforth, we won’t refer to ourselves as mere compatriots, we will refer to ourselves as brothers, and as we go into battle in the field of sports or politics, in economic endeavours, we must hail Nigeria,” Akpabio told the President who was at the National Assembly complex.
He added that the National Assembly was the best place to “commence this revolution of going back to our genealogy.”
“Nigeria, We Hail Thee” is the former national anthem of Nigeria, used from independence in 1960 until 1978.
Nigeria’s present anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots,” was adopted in 1978, replacing “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.
The anthem’s lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria when it achieved independence. Frances Berda composed the music for “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
“Nigeria, We Hail Thee” has however been signed into law as Nigeria’s new national anthem.
