The family of Taiwo Michael Akinkunmi, the designer of Nigeria’s national flag, has given up on receiving a promised state funeral, a year after his death at age 87. He will instead be buried this week in Oyo State, where he lived, the family told the BBC.
Akinkunmi, affectionately known as “Mr. Flag Man,” was a humble figure whose home was painted in the green and white colors of Nigeria’s national flag, which he designed.
As Oyo State agrees to fund his funeral, his son hopes that Akinkunmi will be remembered for creating a symbol of a united Nigeria.
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“We have to give him the befitting burial he deserves,” his son Akinwumi Akinkunmi told the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.
Akinkunmi often described himself as an unlikely flag designer.
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While studying electrical engineering in London, he entered a competition to design a new flag for Nigeria ahead of its independence from the UK in October 1960, after spotting a newspaper advertisement about the contest.
Flag expert Whitney Smith noted that 3,000 designs were submitted for Nigeria’s national flag, many of which were highly complex. However, Akinkunmi’s simple design of equal green-white-green vertical stripes stood out.
It replaced the colonial flag, which featured the British Union Jack and a six-pointed green star beneath a red disk.
Akinkunmi’s original flag design featured a red sun at its center, symbolizing “divine protection and guidance,” according to flag expert Smith in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
However, the committee decided to omit the sun, awarding the then 23-year-old Akinkunmi £100 (worth $280 at the time) for his winning design.
He often said his inspiration came from his childhood experiences, having traveled and lived in various parts of Nigeria.
Akinkunmi was born in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, but spent his early years in northern Nigeria due to his parents’ work. He grew up in a happy polygamous family, one of his father’s 10 children.
He returned to Ibadan to complete his education, where he attended a secondary school he described as a “mini-Nigeria” because it had students from all over the country.
Nigeria, a diverse nation with over 300 ethnic groups, is roughly divided between the predominantly Muslim north and largely Christian south, though many communities are mixed.
For Akinkunmi, the green in his flag design symbolized Nigeria’s rich agricultural heritage, while the white represented peace and unity.
“It is typical that Nigeria, like many other culturally diverse countries, chose a simple flag design. A more complex design might have explicitly honoured some ethnic and religious groups while excluding others,” Smith wrote.
Agriculture was a passion for Akinkunmi, who eagerly returned to Nigeria after independence to work as a civil servant with the Ministry of Agriculture, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. Despite his significant contribution to the country, he remained relatively unknown for much of his life, though he reportedly painted the outside of his home in the flag’s green and white colors.
Akinkunmi’s contributions were formally recognized only when Nigeria celebrated its 50th year of independence, honoring him as one of 50 distinguished Nigerians.
In 2014, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), one of Nigeria’s highest honors, after an Oyo State politician lobbied for his recognition.
Following Akinkunmi’s death last year, a senator successfully sponsored a motion for him to receive a state burial. However, with no plans materializing, his family has been left paying 2,000 naira ($1.30; £1.00) per day to keep his body in a morgue as they await the promised honors.
In June, Akinkunmi’s family learned that the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (Nico) had been tasked with organizing the state funeral. However, apart from one phone call, there has been no further communication from the institute.
The Oyo State government decided to step in and fund the burial rites for the flag designer.
“My late father was an easy-going person who didn’t want anything to tarnish his image,” his son told the BBC.
“He was well brought up, he was a very intelligent man, and a good person that everyone wanted to associate with,” he added.
