Chief Dan Nwanyanwu and the National Secretary of ZLP, Yahaya Makama, during the press conference.
By Felix Khanoba
The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to waste no time in assenting the bill that brought back the 1960 independence national anthem.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Nwanyanwu, who was the presidential candidate of the ZLP in the 2023 general election, commended the National Assembly for taking a bold step to repeal the current national anthem of the country through the bill.
“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 1st, 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 proved that it is sensitive to the yeaning’s of the people, but it’s 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,”he said.
While saying the national anthem of a country is symbolic, the ZLP national chairman expressed disappointment in the manner in which the past military government tampered with the old version without any form of consultation or logic.
“The 1960 National Anthem of Nigeria touches the very core of our diversity, and religious complexities,” he said, adding that it evoked emotions and the call for a United Nigeria where equity and justice will reign supreme with no citizen oppressed and section being preponderant over others with clear equality of citizens. These are the reasons I gave when I canvassed for reverting to the original National Anthem….
“I join all well-meaning Nigerians in commending the National Assembly and its leadership for their courage and patriotism in this regard.
“I urge Mr. President to waste no time assenting to this bill without delay; history will record the enactment of this landmark act to his credit,” Nwanyanwu said.
On the criticism that the change of the national anthem should not be a priority of the government amidst several major challenges confronting the country, Nwanyawu said that embracing the old anthem will usher in good things for the country in the long run.
“This may not put food on your table now, but when we get it right, there will be plenty for you to eat and drink; at that time, Nigeria would have been blessed,” he said.
