The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi has warned the National Assembly that such an important task of reversing the present National Anthem to the old one must not be done by what he described as legislative fiat.
Recall that the Senate on Thursday gave very quick consideration to an Executive Bill forwarded to it by President Bola Tinubu that seeks the re-introduction of the old National Anthem which starts with the popular phrase “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.
Speaking in Abuja at the Public hearing on the bill organized by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, APC, Borno North led Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who noted that though the move by both Chambers of the National Assembly was commendable, Nigerians must be carried along for their required ” buy in”.
Fagbemi 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 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 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, etc.
“The outcome of this process is bound to be a true reflection of the wishes of the generality or majority of Nigerians”.
On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi who recommended that the scope should be expanded to include a robust issue on national identity rather than limiting it to change of national anthem, stressed that some lines in the old national anthem does not make a complete meaning.
Also in his contribution, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN who cautioned the National Assembly on expeditious passage of the bill, however, called for wider consultations for Nigerians to accept whatever National Anthem is proposed and buy into it.
Ozekhome who noted that the National Assembly should widen the scope of participation in the process of coming up with such an Act for general acceptability, however, supported the move to replace the current” Arise O Compatriots ” National Anthem with the ” Nigeria, We Hail Thee”, the country started with , in October 1960.
According to him, such a move was long overdue since the current National Anthem adopted in 1978, does not have the required gravitas and is not inspirational to fire the passion and zeal for Nationhood among Nigerians, adding that the move will not be the first country in the world to replace current National Anthem with the old one as over 20 countries like Russia, Austria, Chile, France, Saudi Arabia, China, Brazil, Iran, Iraq etc, have done so at different times in the past.
In their various submissions, other stakeholders preferred the old National Anthem to the current one.
