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Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday ruled that the legislators should return to the plenary to pass the bill for 1st and 2nd reading today (Thursday).

The Nigerian Senate held an executive/closed session on Thursday to deliberate changing the national anthem.

The move is 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 military regime.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday ruled that the legislators should return to the plenary to pass the bill for 1st and 2nd reading today (Thursday).

Akpabio noted that thereafter any Nigerian interested in contributing could attend a public hearing on the matter at the Senate building, a source in the Senate told SaharaReporters.

“The Senate President just ruled that we should go back to the plenary to pass the bill – 1st and 2nd reading today, thereafter, any Nigerian who is interested can come to the Senate building for a public hearing,” the source said.

The source privy to the discussions in the executive session told SaharaReporters that the Senate leadership “wants the bill to bring the old anthem back and wants the bill to pass first reading and second reading today”.

SaharaReporters learnt that Senators Danjuma Goje and Adams Oshiomhole canvassed for a public hearing before the amendment but the Senate leadership pushed for the new anthem to be dropped for the former one hence the reason why it wanted the bill to pass 1st and 2nd reading today.

The matter was listed in the Senate Order paper on Thursday and it generated arguments and counter-arguments in the executive session.

Senator Yahaya Abubakar from Kebbi (a former Senate Majority Leader) advised that there should be consultations across the country because Nigerians because of the hardship in the country as amending or changing the national anthem via a bill would seem like a move to divert their attention away from the economic crisis.

However, SaharaReporters learnt that Senator Victor Umeh of the Labour Party supported the senate leadership to change the anthem by amending the bill, saying Senator Oshiomhole’s position was wrong.

Senator Umeh used Rwanda as an example and hailed the former anthem as a good draft, SaharaReporters was told. Hence, he fully supported the leadership to change the anthem by amending the law and bringing back the former anthem.

“He is against any public hearing and stated that a public hearing will open Pandora’s box.

“Senator Umeh is an ‘eye service’ (sycophant) man; he wants to please the Senate President. Senator Umeh doesn’t want Nigerians to be part of the decision on whether to drop the present national anthem or not, and replace it with the former anthem.

“He said that allowing Nigerians to ventilate their opinions will cause anarchy. He has been doing ‘eye service’ for Senator Akpabio, supporting everything he says.

“Two weeks ago during our closed-door/executive session, Senator Umeh even kicked against lifting the suspension of Senator Ningi Abdul despite the fact that the leader of his Labour Party, Peter Obi had supported Senator Ningi. 

“This is a clear departure from what his party stands for. Senator Umeh needs to be exposed for Nigerians to know his true colour and character.”