Man Who Designed Nigeria’s Flag To Get Burial A Year After Death

A year after the man who designed the Nigerian flag died at 87, his family has decided to bury his body. The family had been waiting for the government to fulfill its promise to arranging a state burial for him, but the promise never materialised.

Pa Taiwo Michael Akinkunmi, who died on August 29, 2023, designed the green and white flag while studying in London in the late 1950s. In his design, he evoked Nigeria’s agricultural wealth and the peace and unity among its diverse ethnic groups.

The design won a national competition and the new flag unveiled on Nigeria’s Independence Day on October 1. Despite his significant contribution, very few people knew about his work and Mr Akinkunmi lived a relatively quiet life, working for the Ministry of Agriculture.

Recognition came later in life, when he was given the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) award in 2014, one of the highest civilian awards in Nigeria.

After his death, a motion was proposed to give him a state burial, but no plans were made, leaving his family to pay for his body to be kept in a mortuary for over a year.

Despite public outcry and a directive from the Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy for the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) to ensure he received a state funeral, there was little follow-through. 

Ultimately, the Oyo state government stepped in to support the family to give him a befitting burial in early September, just after the one-year anniversary of his passing.