Nigeria’s new anthem, written by a Briton, sparks criticism after a contentious law is passed

Nigeria adopted a new national anthem on Wednesday May 29 after lawmakers passed a law that replaced the current one with a version dropped nearly a half-century ago.

This development has sparked widespread criticism about how the law was hastily passed without much public input.

President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the law comes a day after it was approved by both chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, which is dominated by the governing party. The federal lawmakers introduced and passed the bill in less than a week, an unusually fast process for important bills that usually take weeks or months to be considered.

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