The Osun State House of Assembly has finally repealed the law validating the public usage of the state’s anthem, crest, and flag.
The law, Osun State Anthem, Crest and Flag Law 2012, was instituted during the administration of Rauf Aregbesola, who was governor of the state between 2010 and 2018.
The State’s Assembly Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, said in a statement that repealing the law was in cooperation with the 2017 ruling of a federal high court.
The state government, during the administration of Aregbesola, announced the renaming of Osun state as ‘state of Osun’, and introduced a new anthem, crest, and flag under a new law.
An Osun state high court on December 14, 2017, in Ilesa had declared that the renaming was illegal and therefore, null and void, while also declaring that the law and its makers were unknown to the 1999 constitution.
The incumbent state governor, Ademola Adeleke, during his inaugural speech in November 2022, ordered an immediate reversal to ‘Osun state’ instead of ‘state of Osun’.
A day later, the seventh state House of Assembly rejected Adeleke’s order and said the state will continue to be referred to as ‘state of Osun’ as the adoption was what it called a matter of law.
The speaker said some appropriate and corrected parts of the repealed law will be inserted into the re-enacted version.
“At plenary yesterday, the Osun state House of Assembly repealed the Osun State Anthem, Crest and Flag Law 2012, in compliance with the judgement of a Federal High Court dated 14th December 2017, on a matter instituted by Hon. Kanmi Ajibola representing Oriade state constituency,” his statement reads.
“Understanding however, that there may be some aspects of the law that are appropriate, the house agreed that all corrections made on Osun State Anthem, Crest and Flag Law 2012, form part of the bill for Osun State Anthem, Crest and Flag Bill 2023, sponsored by the majority leader.
“In essence, what the house has done, is vacate a law that had already been invalidated by a court of competent jurisdiction, to pave way for a new law that will respect the letters and spirit of the Nigerian constitution that we swore to abide by.”
