OSOGBO, Nigeria — The State of Osun has bid farewell to its state crest, flag, and anthem — symbols of local identity established under the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The Osun State House of Assembly repealed the Osun State Anthem, Crest, and Flag Law 2012 in a plenary session on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, marking the end of an era.
The move complies with a Federal High Court judgement handed down on December 14, 2017.
Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Adewale Egbedun, provided insight into the development, stating, “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.”
The now abolished law was challenged by state legislator Kanmi Ajibola, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, representing the Oriade Constituency.
According to Egbedun, the House recognizes that elements of the repealed law might still hold relevance.
As such, he noted, “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.”
The initial law authorizing the creation of the state’s unique anthem, flag, and crest was passed under the Speakership of Naheem Salam, at the behest of the Aregbesola administration.
This administration was also responsible for renaming the state from “Osun State, the State of the Living Spring” to “State of Osun, the State of the Virtuous.”
The Assembly’s recent decision was first announced during a plenary session by the Speaker last Friday, marking a significant shift in the state’s identity and opening the door to new representations in the future.
