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Mike Ozekhome (SAN), one of the lawyers on Atiku Abubakar’s legal team in the 2023 presidential election petition tribunal, has lauded President Bola Tinubu for reintroducing the old national anthem.
The renowned senior lawyer during his appearance on Channels TV breakfast program, Sunrise Daily, on Thursday, June 6.
He said, “I am not a fantastic fan of the government, but if there is one thing I think they have done right, they have gotten right, and I applaud them for it, it is the reintroduction of this national anthem.”
The National Anthem Bill 2024, signed by Tinubu, led to the reintroduction of the old national anthem. This decision, with its profound legal and political implications, sparked criticism from Nigerians, who questioned its significance given the current economic challenges.
However, Ozekhome argued that returning the old anthem “will cement us together.”
While reacting to the quickness with which the bill was passed by the legislature, Ozekhome said, “I know that it was advertised that there would be a public hearing over the national anthem.
“That was how I heard. Nobody came to invite me specially and if you’re called, you should go and participate. If you don’t participate, you should not cry later.”
He stated that, unlike amending the constitution, adopting a new national anthem does not necessitate holding town hall meetings at the grassroots level.
Ozekhome expressed concern over the lack of patriotism among some Nigerians and hopes that the new anthem will help restore it.
He mentioned that reintroducing the anthem was one of the recommendations from the 2014 National Conference.