A human rights lawyer Mike Ozekhome has praised President Bola Tinubu’s government for the reintroduction of the old national anthem, Nigeria, we Hail Thee. “I am not a fantastic fan of the government but if there is one thing I think they have done right; they have gotten right, and I applaud them for it, it is the reintroduction of this national anthem,” he said as a guest on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The reintroduction of the old national anthem followed the passage of the National Anthem Bill 2024 which was later signed by Tinubu.
While the development triggered a backlash from Nigerians who questioned the importance of the move in the face of the biting economy, Ozekhome believes the reintroduction of the old national anthem “will cement us together”.
Many have questioned why Nigerians were not carried along in the reintroduction of the old national anthem, but Ozekhome said, “I know that it was advertised that there would be a public hearing over the national anthem.
“That was how I heard. Nobody came to invite me specially and if you’re called, you should go and participate. If you don’t participate, you should not cry later.”
He said, unlike a change of constitution, having a new national anthem does not require town hall meetings at the lowest levels. Ozekhome lamented the lack of patriotism among some Nigerians and hopes the new anthem will reinstate that.
According to him, the reintroduction of the anthem was part of the recommendations of the 2014 National Confab.
Credit: channelstv.com
