Nigeria Wouldn’t Face Banditry If National Anthem Wasn’t Changed in 1978 – Akpabio

In a recent statement, Senate President Godswill Akpabio attributed Nigeria’s current banditry crisis to the change of the national anthem in 1978. Akpabio made these remarks on Tuesday during his visit to the Nigerian Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies.

Akpabio argued that the shift from the original anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee,” to the current one has had profound social implications. He suggested that maintaining the original anthem might have fostered a stronger sense of brotherhood and unity among Nigerians, potentially mitigating the rise of banditry.

“A lot of people were not aware that there was a panel set up made of Nigerians to receive input from all over the world. When these people are saying we are bringing in a colonial anthem, please look into the history of the ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’,” Akpabio said. “If you check that national anthem, we probably could not have banditry today. Because if you take your neighbour as your brother, you will not want to kill your brother.”

The Senate President emphasized that reverting to the old anthem, despite criticisms of neocolonialism, was one of the most significant pieces of legislation passed by the 10th National Assembly. He believes this change could have a substantial positive impact on Nigerian society.

However, the move has faced opposition, with many Nigerians criticizing the reversion to the anthem composed during British colonial rule as an act of neocolonialism.