After a year of waiting for a promised state funeral that never materialized, the family of Taiwo Michael Akinkunmi, the man who designed Nigeria’s national flag, has decided to lay him to rest this week in Oyo State. Akinkunmi, fondly known as “Mr. Flag Man,” passed away in 2022 at the age of 87, but the anticipated state burial has remained unfulfilled despite political promises.
Akinkunmi, who designed Nigeria’s iconic green-white-green flag in 1960, was a humble civil servant who worked at the Ministry of Agriculture until his retirement in 1994. Despite his significant contribution to Nigeria’s identity, it wasn’t until the country’s 50th independence anniversary in 2010 that he began to receive proper recognition for his work. He was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2014, one of Nigeria’s highest honors.
Following his death, a senator sponsored a motion for a state funeral, but a year later, no concrete plans were made. The family, who had been paying 2,000 naira daily to keep Akinkunmi’s body in a morgue, eventually gave up waiting for the government to fulfill its promise. His son, Akinwumi Akinkunmi, expressed disappointment, saying, “We have to give him the befitting burial he deserves.”
The Oyo State government has now stepped in to fund the burial, ensuring that the man whose design symbolizes Nigeria’s unity and agricultural richness is honored. Akinkunmi’s original flag design, with its simple yet profound green and white stripes, replaced Nigeria’s colonial flag ahead of independence from the UK in October 1960.
Despite the challenges his family faced in arranging his burial, Akinkunmi’s legacy endures. His son described him as an “intelligent and well-brought-up man” who remained a humble figure throughout his life, despite his monumental contribution to the nation.
