The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, says that Nigeria might not be experiencing banditry today if the country had not changed its anthem in 1978.
He made the remark during his visit to the Institute of Nigerian Legislative and Democratic.
Akpabio highlighted the National Anthem Bill as one of the 10th assembly’s most appealing pieces of legislation.
He also mention the Student Loan Bill as one of the most significant bill passed by the assembly.
The anthem bill speedily passed first and second readings at both chambers of the National Assembly and was afterwards assented into law by President Tinubu.
“The bill that was sent to us by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on students’ loans and scholarships to enable Nigerian vulnerable students; the less privilege to obtain higher education,” Akpabio said.
“And as I speak to you over 30,000 Nigerian students have been selected to benefit from it. That is one of the bills I would say appeals to me the most.
“The other one on social impact is reverting to our old national anthem. A lot of people are not aware that there was a panel made up of Nigerians set up to receive input from all over the world in 1959.
“So, when people say we are bringing colonial anthem, please look into the history of the “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.
“If we kept to that anthem, we probably would not have banditry today in Nigeria, because if you took your neighbour as your brother you would not want to kill your brother, if you took your neighbour as your brother, you would not want to into the farm and behead your brother.”
