The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), a civil society organization, has announced plans to sue President Bola Tinubu over the recently signed National Anthem Act 2024. Drivetvnews reported that President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law on Wednesday, reinstating the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.” However, the reintroduced old national anthem has generated mixed reactions among Nigerians, with stakeholders calling for proper consultation before making the decision.
ALDRAP’s secretary, Tonye Jaja, in a statement on Friday, declared that the enactment of the National Anthem Act did not meet the constitutional requirements. The group argued that the public was not allowed to contribute, as they were during the enactment of the previous national anthem in 1978. Additionally, the bill was not formally transmitted from the president to the Senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
The statement partly read, “No public hearing was held before the said legislation was enacted as required under Section 60 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution. Members of the public were not invited to make their contributions, as was done when the other national anthem was enacted in the year 1978. There was no letter of transmission of the said bill from the president to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives. The expenditures associated with the National Anthem Act, 2024 (which was done on May 29, 2024, and on other dates) are not captured in the Budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Act, 2024 (as can be attested to by the accountant-general of the federation), and therefore the said National Anthem Act, 2024, should be declared illegal.”
The organization emphasized that the costs associated with implementing the new national anthem, including manpower, updating official documents, and related expenses, would place a significant burden on ordinary citizens, particularly without a corresponding increase in income.
Other respondents to be named in the case include the president, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Senate President.
