The designer of the Nigerian Flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, died on Tuesday at the age of 87. On Wednesday, his son, Akinkunmi Akinwumi Samuel, announced his demise via his Facebook page.
He wrote, “Life is indeed transient; I can say boldly you live a life with a landmark. Continue to rest on, my father! Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi (O.F.R) Great Man has gone.”
Akinkunmi was awarded 100 pounds by the government when his design was selected as the Nigerian flag.
He has also been honoured with the Order of the Federal Republic award by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Taiwo Akinkunmi, born in Ibadan on May 10, 1936, and has lived there most of his life, was originally from Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He had his secondary education at the Ibadan Grammar School and got his school leaving certificate there in 1950.
While an undergraduate at Norwood Technical College in London, he heard of the call to design the national flag and submitted his design. In 1958, his design was chosen as Nigeria’s National flag.
Akinkunmi initially painted a sun on the white of the green/white/green, which he later discarded. For winning the contest, he received a cash prize of 100 pounds. In 2010, the federal government awarded him a presidential award.
On 29 September 2014, at the Conference Centre in Abuja, he was honoured with the title of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and honorary Life presidential adviser.
In 2021, Akinkunmi unveiled the world’s largest national flag in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
