Amaechi Claims Tinubu Spent N12 Billion to Change National Anthem, But Was It Budgeted For?

West Africa WeeklyOctober 5, 20262 Mins read12

Former Minister of Transportation and 2027 African Democratic Congress vice presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has alleged that the President Bola Tinubu government spent about N12 billion to change the country’s national anthem. Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Friday, October 2, 2026, Amaechi made the assertion while discussing Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day celebration and the priorities of the federal government.

Amaechi said the money spent on changing the anthem could have built hundreds of health centres across Nigeria. “So the president… I think they spent about 12 billion to change the national anthem. That’s why if you look at it, I can tell you it would have built hundreds of health centers,” he said. He questioned why the President’s priority was the national anthem instead of more pressing issues facing Nigerians. “It is ridiculous that the president wakes up and what bothers him is the national anthem,” Amaechi said.

The national anthem was changed on May 29, 2024, when President Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law, reverting to the old anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” which was dropped by a military government in 1978. The bill was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly before being transmitted to the President for his signature. The National Assembly passed the bill within six days. On May 23, 2024, the bill passed its first and second readings in both the Senate and House of Representatives. On May 28, 2024, the Senate passed the bill to restore the old anthem, and on May 29, 2024, President Tinubu signed it into law. The House of Representatives passed the bill in one day, without any recourse to the people they claim to represent. There was no public hearing, and the admonition of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, that the lawmakers should conduct wider, nationwide consultations before passing the bill was ignored.

The key question is whether the N12 billion Amaechi mentioned was ever budgeted for or approved by the National Assembly. The expenditures associated with the National Anthem Act, 2024, were not captured in the 2024 Budget Act, according to the Accountant-General of the Federation. The Alliance for the Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Rule of Law, through its legal team, stated that “the expenditures associated with the National Anthem Act, 2024 (which was done on 29th May 2024 and on other dates) are not captured in the Budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Act”. The group described the Act as illegal, contending that the financial burden was not included in the budget.

The National Orientation Agency also said the federal government has not allocated funds for the promotion of the new national anthem, contrary to reports on social media. The agency denied reports that Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, said the federal government spent N814 billion on the new national anthem. Those claims were fact-checked and found to be false. But the N12 billion figure Amaechi mentioned is separate, and the government has not provided a clear breakdown of what the anthem change cost or where the money came from.

Nigerians should ask questions. If the National Assembly approved the anthem change, did it also approve the money to implement it? If the money was not budgeted for, where did it come from? If the government spent N12 billion on a national anthem while hospitals lack oxygen and schools lack roofs, who authorised that spending? Amaechi said the money would have built hundreds of health centres. He is right. The question is why the government chose a song over the health of its people.