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Reps Pass Bill To Return To Old National Anthem
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill seeking to return Nigeria back to reciting the old National Anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ and discard the present one, ‘Arise O’ Compatriots.
Sponsored by the House Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, the bill speedily passed through first, second reading, considered and approved at the Committee of the Whole and passed for third reading at plenary
The legislation is titled, “Bill For An Act to Provide for the National Anthem of Nigeria, and for Matters Related Thereto.”
According to the bill “on the date of commencement of the Bill, the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” which is prescribed in the Schedule to the proposed legislation.
It added that the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shal be a national symbol and sign of authority, and all persons, individuals or corporate entities, shall respect the national anthem and preserve the dignity of the national anthem.
The proposed legislation provided that the national anthem shall be performed and sung on occasions such as: opening and closing ceremonies of Federal Executive Council, and State Executives Council meetings, opening and closing of sittings of Legislative Houses in Nigeria and Constitutional oath-swearing ceremonies.
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Others are: “Major celebrations, major award ceremonies, major commemorative ceremonies, national memorial ceremonies and the like, which are organised by MDAs, major diplomatic activities, major sporting events, other occasions as may from time to time, be determined by the minister responsible for education with the consent of the President.”
It stated that the performance and singing of the national anthem shall follow the lyrics prescribed by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The new law prescribed that when the national anthem is performed and sung “-(a) those present shall stand and deport respectfully, and
(b) at flag-raising ceremonies, those present shall face the flag, and uniformed military personnel, Police and other Security personnel are to give a hand salute, and other persons are to look on in respect.
“The Ministry responsible for information shall organize the review and approval of the standard for performance of the national anthem, and record the official recording of the national anthem to be played. The standard and official recorded versions of the national anthem shall be published on the Federal Government of Nigeria’s website.
“Primary and Secondary schools shall make the lyrics of the national anthem part of the civic education and organise pupils and students to learn the national anthem.The second stanza of the former national anthem shall be the national prayer,” the bill reads further.
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Presenting the Bill, the House Leader said that the old anthem gives a sense of commitment, sense of dedication and a desire to move Nigeria forward, hence the need for a change.
He said: “Mr Speaker a time comes in the life of every organisation or a nation when the people must sit down look at the past , the present, the future and have the courage, the sense of a nation to define , design the way forward. I believe that Nigeria is at that stage and momentum.
“Great men have changed history. Mr Speaker, this bill is straightforward. It is a bill that seeks to enjoin us to at our Anthem as a national symbol and sign if authority. One that will pull us together, will give us hope and courage, a sense of duty to the nation.
“That does not necessarily deny the reality and that is the maintain of contemporary societies. They deny reality, they pretend racism doesn’t exist, ethnicity doesn’t exist, poverty doesn’t exist. They rationalise this by looking at GMP, GDP and the reality stares people in the face and that is when you are faced with the realities then you can attack and deal with it frontally.
“So it seeks to say that as a people as Nigerians fronting a new renewed hope moving forward, tackling the rot decay, dislocation and distortion of the past. We should go back to our old national anthem which gives us that energy, that sense of commitment, sense of dedication and a desire to move Nigeria forward.
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“I have taken time to look at the old Anthem, the old and the new, and as a Nigerian who had been involved in the struggle to make Nigeria a better place either as a student to the student union movement including the “Ali must go” movement or as a University teacher having been Secretary, vice chairman and chairman of ASUU or as a pro democracy activity who spent twelve and a half years in self exile.
“I believe that the old anthem encompasses. I have taken time to look at the other anthems (the old and the new) we have been involved in the struggle to make Nigeria a better place.
“I believe that the old Anthem, encompasses, contains, exudes the kind of energy, resourcefulness and a sense of vision that I believe is good for Nigeria. Mr Speaker the old Anthem not only begins by telling us of the pride to serve our nation which is what is required right now when people are “Japa-ing” left, right and centre. But it goes on to assert the sovereignty of our motherland.
Speaking against the bill the Minority leader of the House Kingsley Chinda said the bill was not necessary at this difficult time.
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“Today we are taking ourselves back to the old National Anthem incidentally i will ask again is this bill important at the particular time in oir national lives, what value will it add to us as a nation.Tou see that these questions needs to be answered .
” Nigerians are looking up to us for more fundamental issues that will cause proper change .Prof took us to history days, what is the history we are about to make so i stand as a Nigerian to say no to this bill, I pray that we look a it critically and urge the sponsor the House leader to withdraw this bill.”
Also speaking against the Bill, Hon Ahmed Satomi called that the bill be stepped down as it adds no value or give solution to the current challenges been faced in the country.
“Nigerians are looking up to us regarding this bill because many of us in our early 40s don’t know this national anthem. I don’t know how this bill on the national anthem will affect the common man.
” Let’s be realistic how this will help the government to stop hunger, banditry, or improve security. Let’s do what is beneficial to the common man and this Honourable chamber is the only for now standing for the common man of Nigeria.
“So Nigerians are looking up to us, I concur with the Minority Leader. Let’s look at something that will bring a development in the eyes of the international communities to Nigeria.”
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News
PHOTOS: Esama Of Benin Commissions BRC Ultramodern Lounge, Promises A Phase Lift
Published
3 hours agoon
June 29, 2025By
Editor
The Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, has promised to give a phase lift to the Benin Recreation Club (BRC) in the next 12 months.
Chief Igbinedion made the promise in Benin on Saturday when he officially visited the BRC to commission a newly remodeled ultramodern ‘Chief Go.O. Igbinedion Bustop Lounge.’
The Esama, who expressed dissatisfaction on how he met the ancient recreation club, said: “This place needs a drastic improvement. I would, therefore, like the committee to see me, and I promise 12 months from now, this place will wear a new look.”
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Chief Igbinedion, however, thanked current and past executives of the club for a job well done, and for sustaining the BRC, saying “many organisations or associations as this have gone into extinction but you have put in your best to keep this going.”
The octogenarian, who thanked the leadership and the board of trustees for the honour done on him through the naming of a lounge, also vowed not to neglect the leadership especially knowing well that he has been a founding member of the BRC.
In his remarks, Special Guest of Honour and Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, while describing the BRC as the best place to relax after a stressful day, urged members of the public who are yet to join the BRC to do so.
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Earlier in his welcome speech, president of the BRC, Courage Osamuyi said the lounge was named after Chief Igbinedion in recognition of his great support for the club and his contribution to humanity.

Justice Daniel Okungbowa, Chief Judge of Edo State
The BRC president, who declared that the presence of the Esama in the BRC signifies a new dawn, said “what we are having today is just the beginning. As he has stepped into this place, greater things will start to happen.”
Osamuyi, while noting that the Esama “has been a founding member of the club over the years,” thanked Chief Igbinedion for his good work and for honouring them with his presence.

Osamuyi Courage, President of The BRC

Labour Party leader and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s planned trip to Saint Lucia, describing it as poorly timed and lacking in sensitivity, especially amid Nigeria’s deepening economic and security challenges.
Tinubu is expected to leave Nigeria on Saturday for Saint Lucia and is also scheduled to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Brazil.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Obi expressed dismay over the president’s travel, questioning the state of governance in the country.
Obi argued that Tinubu’s trip highlights a pattern of misplaced priorities by the administration, particularly at a time when citizens are grappling with widespread hunger and insecurity.
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“What I have seen and witnessed in the last two years has left me in shock about poor governance delivery and apparent channelling of energy into politics and satisfaction of the elites, while the masses in our midst are languishing in want,” Obi stated.
He lamented the toll of rising insecurity across Nigeria, pointing out the country’s deteriorating safety situation.
“In the past two years, Nigeria has lost more people to all sorts of criminality than a country that is officially at war.
“Without any twilight, Nigeria ranks among the most insecure places in the world. Nigerians are hungrier, and most people do not know where their next meal will come from,” he wrote.
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Obi said he was stunned when he learned of the President’s travel plans, especially following what he described as a recent holiday in Lagos.
“With such a gory picture of one’s country, you can imagine my bewilderment when I saw a news release from the Presidency announcing that President Bola Tinubu is departing Nigeria today for a visit to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean,” he said.
Quoting Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, Obi noted that the visit comprises both official and personal segments.
“According to the Prime Minister’s announcement, ‘two of these days, June 30 and July 1, will be dedicated to an official visit, with the remainder of the trip set aside as a personal vacation,” he said.
Obi noted that he initially found the report hard to believe.
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“I told the person who drew my attention to the Caribbean story that it cannot be true and that the President is just coming back from a holiday in Lagos.
“I didn’t want to believe that anybody in the position of authority, more so the President… would contemplate a leisure trip at this time,” Obi said.
He condemned Tinubu’s failure to visit disaster-stricken areas like Minna in Niger State, where over 200 people reportedly died and hundreds remain missing due to flooding.
“This is a President going for leisure when he couldn’t visit Minna, Niger State where over two hundred lives were lost and over 700 persons still missing in a flood natural disaster,” he said.
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Obi also took issue with Tinubu’s recent trip to Benue State, claiming it was politically motivated rather than compassionate.
“The other state in crisis where over two hundred lives were murdered, the President yielded to public pressure and visited Makurdi… for what turned out to be a political jamboree than condolence as public holiday was declared and children made to line up to receive the President who couldn’t even reach the village, the scene of the brutal attack,” he said.
Drawing comparisons between Nigeria and Saint Lucia, Obi questioned the logic of prioritising a visit to the Caribbean nation over addressing pressing domestic issues.
“Makurdi is 937.4 Km², which is over 59% bigger than St Lucia, which is 617 km², and Minna is 6789 square kilometres, which is ten times bigger than St Lucia. St Lucia, with a population of 180,000, is less than half of Makurdi’s 489,839 and Minna, with 532,000 is almost three times the population of St Lucia,” the former Anambra governor said.
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He concluded his post by stressing the urgent need for leadership that is grounded in empathy and focused on addressing the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
He said, “I don’t think the situation in this country today calls for leisure for anybody in a position of authority, more so the President, on whose desk the buck stops.
“This regime has repeatedly shown its insensitivity and lack of passion for the populace…”
Obi added, “This very obvious indifference of the federal government to the suffering of the Nigerian poor should urgently be reversed.
“One had expected the President to be asking God for extra hours in a day for the challenges, but what we see is a concentration of efforts in the 2027 election and on satisfying the wealthy while the mass poor continues to multiply in number.”
News
World Bank Lists Nigeria Among 39 Nations Facing Rising Poverty, Hunger
Published
6 hours agoon
June 28, 2025By
Editor
The World Bank has listed Nigeria among 39 countries where poverty and hunger are deepening as a result of conflict and instability.
In a report released on Friday, the bank said the economies, a mix of low- and middle-income countries, span all global regions. Among them are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
The report, which assesses the economic impact of conflict and fragility in the post-COVID-19 era, revealed that 21 of the 39 countries are experiencing active conflict.
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According to the findings, extreme poverty is rising more rapidly in these countries, taking a severe toll on economic development, worsening hunger, and derailing progress toward key development goals.
Since 2020, the report noted, the average per capita GDP of these economies has declined by 1.8 per cent annually, in contrast to a 2.9 per cent growth rate recorded in other developing countries.
The report partly reads: “This year, 421 million people are struggling on less than $3 a day in economies afflicted by conflict or instability—more than in the rest of the world combined.
“That number is projected to rise to 435 million, or nearly 60% of the world’s extreme poor, by 2030.”
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