Senate President Godswill Akpabio has suggested that the old national anthem of Nigeria, reintroduced earlier this year, could have helped prevent issues of banditry and insecurity in the country.
Akpabio believes that if Nigeria had retained the anthem, it would have instilled a sense of patriotism in citizens, fostering a mindset where neighbors are viewed as brothers, thereby reducing the inclination to commit acts of violence against one another.
He further stated that those labeling the reintroduced anthem as an element of colonialism do not understand Nigeria’s history.
He explained that a panel of Nigerians was established in 1959, which received inputs from around the world regarding the anthem.
Plateau News reports that the Senate President made these comments on Tuesday during his visit to the Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja.
He said: “The other impactful bill signed by the National Assembly is the reverting to our old national anthem.
“A lot of people are not aware that there was a panel set up and made up of Nigerians to receive input from all over the world in 1959.
“So when people are saying we’re bringing in colonial anthem, they need to look into the history of “Nigeria, we hail thee”.
“If we had kept to that anthem, we probably would not have banditry today in Nigeria because if you take your neighbour as your brother, you will not want to kill him.”
Recall that both the House of Representatives and the Senate speedily passed a bill to return to the old national anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee”, that was abolished in 1978.
President Bola Tinubu also signed the bill in May, after it was passed by the National Assembly, making the old anthem the new anthem of the country.