Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, harped on one of the lines from the previous anthem, which addresses the issue of oppression, while corroborating with the Director General of National Orientation Agency that the change of the nation’s anthem was long overdue.
The Nigerian Senate on Monday started a public hearing on an Act to provide for the National Anthem of Nigeria and related matters.
SaharaReporters had reported how the Senate held an executive/closed session on Thursday to deliberate changing the national anthem.
The move was said to replace the anthem with the former one “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” which was adopted as the country’s first national anthem on October 1, 1960, but was dropped in 1978 by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s military regime.
According to Channels TV, the leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, who represented the President of the Senate at the hearing, said the second stanza of the existing national anthem shall be the national prayer, noting that if deemed necessary, there would be further consultation on the matter.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, in his contribution said the amendment should not come only by legislative fiat, but should be subjected to a wider consultation, stating that the reversal was not out of place but it should involve a wider process to ensure it was a true reflection of the generality of the wishes of all Nigerians.
Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, harped on one of the lines from the previous anthem, which addresses the issue of oppression, while corroborating with the Director General of National Orientation Agency that the change of the nation’s anthem was long overdue.
He further recalled that he had mooted the idea 10 years ago at the 2014 CONFAB through a motion and it was debated by the 490 delegates but ultimately discarded.
Ozekhome also recalled that he suggested that the name “Nigeria” should be changed because it appeared to be a burden.
