The Senate has returned the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” through the passage of the National Anthem Bill 2024.
Last week the bill went for first and second reading and committed it to its committee on judiciary, human rights, and legal matters for further legislative work.
With the submission and approval of the committee report, the bill went for a third reading.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Mohammed Monguno ( Borno, APC) presented the report.
The House of Representatives also passed the bill for a third reading last week.
Monguno told the Senate to pass the bill based on its importance.
He said: “The parliament considers this bill important and the National Anthem is a representation of the country’s history, culture, and people.
“The proposed bill is apt, timely, and important.”
Subsequently, the Senate dissolved the committee of the whole to consider the clauses of the bill and subsequently passed them.
The former anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee,’ was adopted as the country’s first national anthem on October 1, 1960, but was dropped in 1978 by the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime.
