Days of ‘Arise o’ numbered as Senate passes bill for restore of old anthem

Phenomenal Published May 28, 2024

Last updated: 2024/05/28 at 3:35 PM

Senate President Godswil Akpabio

The days of Nigeria’s National Anthem ‘Arise o’ appear over as the Senate has passed the National Anthem Bill, 2024, which seeks to restore the old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” adopted by Nigeria at independence in 1960.

This is coming less than a week after the House of Representatives’ passed the same bill last Thursday.

The old anthem was replaced in 1978 with the current one, “Arise O Compatriots.”

Last week, the two arms of the National Assembly initiated the legislation to revert to the old anthem.

The House passed the bill through first, second and third readings last week, while the Senate referred the bill to its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for public hearing.

The committee, chaired by Senator Mohammed Monguno, presented its report on the floor on Tuesday.