Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has withdrawn the highly controversial Counter Subversion and Other Related Bills, which sought to criminalize the refusal to sing Nigeria’s reintroduced national anthem.

The bill, which proposed a 10-year prison sentence for individuals who declined to sing the newly reintroduced anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” faced intense backlash from the public. Critics argued that the bill was an overreach and did not address the country’s pressing socio-economic and security challenges.

The National Anthem Bill 2024, which Abbas passed, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and other federal lawmakers in May, reintroduced the anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” in place of “Arise, O Compatriots.” President Bola Tinubu signed the bill into law on May 29, 2024, marking the one-year anniversary of his administration. The change was intended to reflect Nigeria’s diversity, as President Tinubu emphasized that the anthem represents unity among the nation’s diverse populace.

The introduction of the Counter Subversion Bill in July was an attempt to enforce recitation of the new anthem, but it faced widespread criticism. The bill had reportedly advanced to a second reading before Abbas decided to withdraw it.