From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has commended the National Assembly for passing a bill to replace the current National Anthem with the former.
ZLP National Chairman, Dan Nwanyanwu, told journalists yesterday in Abuja, saying he had been vindicated because in 2023, he advocated a return to the former National Anthem due to its lyrics and wordings of unity and national interest.
He said: “I congratulate the National Assembly for passing the bill to repeal the current National Anthem and revert to the original National Anthem, which commenced with the independence of Nigeria on October 1, 1960.
“I feel vindicated by this noble act of the 10th National Assembly, which was in complete consonance with my Presidential Manifesto for the 2023 Presidential election where I vigorously canvassed for the return to Nigeria’s original National Anthem.
“What the National Assembly has done has not only proven that it is sensitive to the yearnings of the people but it is also abundantly clear that there was no justifiable reason to have tampered with the 1960 National Anthem of Nigeria to the extent of replacing it with a meaningless Anthem that makes mockery of Nigeria’s diversity and yearning for unity.
“The National Anthem of a country is so symbolic that it becomes strange when military adventurists, without any form of consultation or logic, repealed Nigeria’s cherished National Anthem by military fiat.
“Many countries of the world have retained their National Anthem for several centuries as long as they existed as a nation. Nigeria, unfortunately, has become a guinea pig where everything is experimented on without a convincing reason.
“The 1960 National Anthem of Nigeria touches the very core of our diversity and religious complexities.
“That National Anthem evokes emotions and the call for a United Nigeria where equity and justice will reign supreme with no citizen oppressed and a section being preponderant over others with clear equality of citizens.
“These are the reasons I gave when I canvassed for the reverting to the original National Anthem.”
He also urged “Mr. President to waste no time assenting to this bill without delay, and history will record the enactment of this landmark Act to his credit.”