If we had kept the old(new) anthem, we probably would not have banditry today – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio believes that retaining the national anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” could have helped prevent banditry and insecurity.

The anthem, abolished by President Obasanjo in 1978, was reintroduced by President Tinubu in May 2024.

During a visit to the Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja on June 18, Akpabio said the revived anthem would promote unity, patriotism, and love among Nigerians. He dismissed criticisms of the anthem as colonial, arguing that such views ignore the country’s history and legal context.

Akpabio noted that a panel of Nigerians, established in 1959, had received global inputs and approved the anthem at that time.

“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 a 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.”