The House of Reps has introduced a new bill named Counter Subversion Bill 2024, which aims to impose stringent penalties on Nigerians who fail to recite the national anthem.
According to the proposed legislation, anyone found guilty of refusing to recite the national anthem shall be fined N5 million, face a 10-year prison sentence, or both.
Anyone who destroys a national symbol or a place of worship shall be liable to the same punishment.
The Bill, sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, is set for its second reading, where its general principles will be debated.
The Bill “stipulates that anyone found guilty of destroying national symbols, refusing to recite the national anthem and pledge, defacing a place of worship with intent to incite violence, or undermining the Federal Government shall face a fine of N5 million, a 10-year prison sentence, or both”.
The Bill also “states that anyone who sets up an illegal roadblock, performs unauthorised traffic duties, imposes an illegal curfew, or organises an unlawful procession will be subject to a fine of N2 million, five years in prison, or both upon conviction”.
Also, any person who “forcefully takes over any place of worship, town hall, school premises, public or private place, arena, or a similar place through duress, undue influence, subterfuge or other similar activities, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N5 million or imprisonment for a term of 10 years or both”.
“A person who professes loyalty, pledges or agrees to belong to an organisation that disregards the sovereignty of Nigeria, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N3 million or imprisonment for a term of four years or both,” it also added among others.
In May, President Bola Tinubu signed into law the bill to revert to Nigeria’s old national anthem which was dropped by a military government in 1978.
The newly re-adopted anthem, which begins “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” was written by Lillian Jean Williams in 1959 and composed by Frances Berda.
Since the reintroduction of the new anthem, some citizens, including former Minister of Solid Minerals Oby Ezekwesili and activist Aisha Yesufu insisted they would rather sing the ‘Arise O Compatriots’ anthem or nothing at all.
A video posted on Ms Yesufu’s X page shortly after the president greenlit the ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ anthem showed her sitting comfortably at a function and leafing through the pages of a magazine where other attendees stood to sing the new anthem.
“#NotMyNationalAnthem” was Ms Yesufu’s caption for the video, which gathered over two million views on X.
In other videos, the activist contended that given the country is battling its worst economic and security crises, the government had more pressing issues requiring immediate attention and action than reverting to the previously old anthem.
Amid heated debates on whether it was right or wrong to disregard the national anthem brazenly, Ms Ezekwesili threw her weight behind Ms Yesufu.
The former minister insisted that “whenever and wherever the national anthem is called for, I shall continue to sing #AriseOCompatriots as #MyNationalAnthem.”
“Definitely #NotMyNationalAnthem as I already publicly conveyed,” the 61-year-old former minister tweeted.
She accused Mr Tinubu and the Senate of not following due process to amend the legislation.
“The lawmakers @nassnigeria and the @NGRPresident grievously breached the constitutional provisions and process for amendment of legislation and therefore cannot foist another national anthem on us,” Ms Ezekwesili stated in June. “I refuse to join them in the Kangaroo Act of violating the Constitution.”
Should the parliament pass the bill and the president assents to it, the government might have good grounds to prosecute Mses Ezekwesili and Yesufu if they refuse to sing the anthem.