ABEOKUTA– Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi OFR was a Nigerian civil servant who was best known for designing Nigerias national flag. He was commonly referred to as Mr. Flag Man.
Pa Akinkunmi was born on the 10th of May, 1936.
He entered a competition which he came across in a library. In his own words, “I took details of what is to be expected to design a flag that would be used by a country that was about to witness Indepence.
He took part in the competition, and his design was selected among the roughly two thousand designs submitted as the best in the year 1958.
The flag was officially raised on Independence Day 1st October 1960, signifying the pulling down of the British flag in Nigeria
Mr Akinkunmi was rewarded with 100 pounds by the government when his design was selected. He was honored as a member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
One could say that these were just the honor done by Nigeria’s hero and what he could boast of while he was alive and nothing more
On Wednesday, 30th of August, 2023, the news of the death of Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, OFR, the designer of Nigeria’s flag took the media space after it was announced via his son’s Facebook page.
Pa Akinkunmi, a national hero, designed the green-white-green flag in a competition in 1958 and thereafter unveiled world’s largest national flag in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital in 2021. Mr. flag, as fondly called, gifted the nation a symbol of unity in the form of the national flag.
The London trained Electrical Engineer, attained this feat at age 22.
This made him a rallying point, even in death, for ingenuity and intuition in modeling and mobilising the youths for Nigeria’s development
On the 4th of September, 2023, President Bola Tinubu sent a federal government delegation led by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Malagi on a condolence visit to the family of the late designer of National Flag at his country home in Elubu area of Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
There, the Minister, while paying tribute to “Mr Flag”, on a live television broadcast, announced that this national hero would not be buried like a mean man.
This commitment was also reiterated during the delegate’s meeting with the Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, who was represented by the Deputy, Barrister Bayo Lawal,recieved them at the exco chamber.
Subsequently, the southwest governors, at a meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde in Ibadan, pledged that a committee would be commissioned to fashion out a program of activities for the burial.
Unfortunately, until now, nothing has been done as the lifeless body of Pa Akinkunmi remains in the Morgue without any date to foreclose his final journey home.
Ten months since his demise, feelers from the family have it that government is yet to set a committee to plan the burial as the family finds it difficult to arrive at a sole decision to take their father out of the Morgue for burial but only left with the option of settling the monthly mortuary expenses while waiting on government to take action.
