Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas has withdrawn the contentious Counter Subversion and Other Related Bills, which sought to criminalize the refusal to sing Nigeria’s reintroduced national anthem.
The decision follows significant opposition and backlash against the bill, which proposed a 10-year prison sentence for individuals who declined to sing the newly reintroduced anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
Read Also: List Of Those Present When Tinubu Departed Abuja For Equatorial Guinea
In May, Abbas, along with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other federal lawmakers, passed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law in their respective chambers.
On May 29, 2024, marking the one-year anniversary of the current administration, President Bola Tinubu signed the bill, reinstating the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” in place of “Arise, O Compatriots.”
Read Also: Video Shows Aye Cult Members Asking Questions To Know If A Young Man Is Impersonating Their Cult Group (WATCH)
Many Nigerians criticized the move, arguing that it was a misplacement of priorities and would not address the country’s pressing socio-economic and security challenges. They expressed a strong preference for retaining the anthem “Arise, O Compatriots” and rejected “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
Despite this, President Tinubu defended the new anthem, stating that “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” represents the nation’s diversity and the unity of its people.
In July, to enforce the recitation of the reintroduced anthem, Speaker Abbas introduced the Counter Subversion and Other Related Bills in the House of Representatives. However, the bill, which had passed its second reading, faced significant opposition from prominent figures such as former Minister Oby Ezekwesili and activist Aisha Yesufu, among others.
In response to the public outcry, Speaker Abbas withdrew the controversial draft legislation that sought to criminalize the refusal to sing the reintroduced national anthem and impose fines. This decision, announced by his spokesman Musa Krishi on Wednesday, came after “careful consideration of the nation’s current circumstances.”
Krishi stated that Abbas’s decision “reflects his commitment to ensuring that the House remains truly the People’s House.”
“He (Abbas) acknowledges the significance of the concerns raised and the attention the Bill has garnered, reaffirming that he will never support any action that might disrupt the peace and unity of our nation.
“The public is hereby notified of the withdrawal of the Counter Subversion Bill and other related ones introduced on July 23, 2024.”
