Senate President Godswill Akpabio made a plea during his visit to the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja, urging Nigerians to embrace the reintroduction of the old national anthem.
He suggested that reverting to the old anthem, which was in use until 1978, could potentially help curb the issue of banditry in the country.
Akpabio highlighted that the decision to change the anthem back then was contentious, and he emphasized the symbolic importance of unity and brotherhood conveyed in the old anthem’s lyrics, “Nigeria we hail thee.”
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He stated, “If we had kept to that national anthem, we probably would not have banditry in Nigeria. If you take your neighbour as your brother, you wouldn’t want to kill your brother or go into the farm to behead your brother.”
In May, President Bola Tinubu signed a bill reintroducing the old national anthem, originally used since independence in 1960, which had been replaced during the Olusegun Obasanjo military administration with “Arise, O Compatriots.”
