A bill seeking to revert to old national anthem has passed second reading at the Senate

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The Executive bill sponsored by the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, was unanimously supported by all the lawmakers in plenary

The lawmakers, who appeared unanimous in support of the bill, argued that it would promote a better symbol for unity, peace and prosperity, compared to the current one.

The lawmakers asserted that the current national anthem is a product of the military regime decreed by the military and therefore should be discarded to adequately capture the nation’s democratic values, integrity and as well foster commitment to nationhood.

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

In a remark president of the senate Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, federal character and intergovernmental affairs and to return back as soon as possible for expeditious passage.