‘It’s matter of law’ — Osun assembly counters Adeleke over rejection of ‘state of Osun’

The Osun state house of assembly says the state will continue to be referred to as ‘state of Osun’ as against ‘Osun state’.

The development was announced on Monday in a statement by Kunle Akande, the house committee chairman on media and publicity.

In his inauguration speech on Sunday, Ademola Adeleke, the Osun governor, ordered an immediate reversal to ‘Osun state’ instead of ‘state of Osun’, which was adopted during the Rauf Aregbesola administration.

Speaking on the development, the Osun assembly said the adoption of ‘state of Osun’ is “a matter of law”.

“The usage of the state anthem, crest and flag is an enactment of law and as such, its usage is a matter of law and not choice,” the statement reads.

“The enactment of ‘state of Osun anthem, crest and flag law, 2012’ assented to on the 18th of December, 2012, contained in Schedule I, II, III, IV and V, which carefully details every component of this law is not in ambiguity.

“Schedule I is the State Anthem, Schedule II has to do with the State Crest, Schedule III is the symbolic significance of the symbolic significance of the elements in the Flag.

“Lastly, while we are aware of a court judgment in effect recognising “Osun State”, the Assembly, pending the determination and exhaustion of all legal means would not be drawn into this matter.

“However, the State shall and will continue to be described as the state of the virtuous (Ipinle Omoluabi).”

The state government, under the administration of Rauf Aregbesola, had announced the renaming of Osun state as “state of Osun” in 2011.

But in 2017, an Osun state high court sitting in Ilesa declared that the renaming is illegal and, therefore, null and void.