Nigerians were shocked last Thursday when a bill to replace the nation’s current National Anthem with the former one was introduced in the Senate, the House of Representatives, the National Assembly, and the National Assembly Senate. The bill quickly passed its first, second, and third readings that same day.
One of the most prominent voices opposing the hasty passage of the bill altering the National Anthem on Monday was Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Fagbemi is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
He informed the National Assembly that legislative discussion alone should not be used to pass legislation pertaining to the National Anthem.
During a one-day public hearing regarding a measure to return to Nigeria’s
The Senators’ attitude and the AGF’s are directly at odds.
As per the global standard, Fagbemi cautioned against passing the national anthem law without sufficient consultation with the people through a plebiscite or referendum.
He stated: “Open national competitions among interested persons sometimes result in the creation of the national anthem. In some cases, a plebiscite or referendum is held on the proposed national anthem prior to its final approval or proclamation.
The goal of the aforementioned is to win the people’s support and trust while making sure the anthem fits their current socio-political context and their ambitions as a group.
Given the aforementioned, I firmly believe that neither legislative decree nor presidential proclamation should be the exclusive means of establishing the cherished problem of the selection of a national item.
Therefore, I firmly believe that the choice to modify Nigeria’s national anthem—either by adding a new song or keeping the old one—should be put through a more extensive public participation process that includes resolutions from the Federal Executive Council, the Council of State National Assembly, and zonal public hearings.
“This process’s result will undoubtedly accurately reflect the desires of the vast majority of Nigerians.”
