The Committee on Religion is set to jettison the second stanza of the National Pledge as prayer, with members expressing divergent opinions as some accepted and others rejected the move.

Pastor Adeboye praying

In their contributions, two members of the committee, Prof Ishaq Oloyede and Barrister John Achimugu argued against the use of the second stanza of the national pledge as a national prayer at state or national events in the country.

Oloyede said national anthem serves the purpose of inspiring the citizens towards nationalism while prayer is a communication and relationship between man and God.

Oloyede stated that in search of a solution to a problem the country should be cautious not to enter into a bigger problem. He further argued that the second stanza of the national pledge was aimed at inspiring the youth and urging the leaders to do what is right for the country, saying that turning it to prayer amounts to using the anthem for non-anthem purposes just as religion is used for non-religious purposes in Nigeria.