In a session marked by dissent, the House of Representatives has passed a bill to readopt the old national anthem, 'Nigeria We Hail Thee,' despite facing opposition from some members.

The bill, championed by Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere, underwent a heated second reading and was expedited to a third reading amidst vocal resistance.

Mr. Ihonvbere, leading the charge, argued that the old anthem's content surpasses that of the current one in quality.

Conversely, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda contended that the anthem's revision should not be a pressing concern for Nigerians.

He further argued that reverting to the old anthem, penned during colonial times, would symbolically represent a regression.

Chinda stated, “For every law, there must be a spirit to it. If we are asked what is the essence of this law, I would talk about history.

“What does this old national anthem represent? This history dates back to colonialism. We dropped it because we wanted an Anthem to remove us from colonialism. The old anthem was composed by foreigners,” he said.

The vote, conducted by Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu, resulted in a contentious outcome.

Despite the 'nay' votes seemingly outweighing the 'ayes,' the Deputy Speaker declared the motion passed, a decision that sparked objections from some lawmakers.

Nonetheless, the Deputy Speaker upheld the decision, and the motion was processed.

Below are the lyrics of the old National Anthem.

Nigeria we hail thee

Our own dear native land

Though tribes and tongue may differ

In brotherhood we stand

Nigerians all, are proud to serve

Our sovereign Motherland.

Our flag shall be a symbol

That truth and justice reign

In peace or battle honour’d,

And this we count as gain,

To hand on to our children

A banner without stain.

O God of all creation

Grant this our one request.

Help us to build a nation

Where no man is oppressed

And so with peace and plenty

Nigeria may be blessed.