The civil society organization, Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), is set to take legal action against President Bola Tinubu over the recent enactment of the National Anthem Act 2024.
President Tinubu’s signing of the National Anthem Bill 2024, which reinstates the former anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” has sparked a wave of mixed reactions across Nigeria. Many stakeholders have voiced concerns, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive consultations before such significant changes are made.
In a statement released on Friday, ALDRAP’s secretary, Tonye Jaja, highlighted that the passage of the National Anthem Act failed to meet constitutional standards.
The group contends that the public was not adequately engaged, as seen during the enactment of the previous national anthem in 1978.
Moreover, they pointed out procedural irregularities, noting that 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.”