President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reacted to the demise of the designer of the Nigerian flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi.
OsunDailyNG reports that Pa Akinkunmi died at age 84, and his son Akinwumi Samuel also confirmed his demise via his Facebook page on Wednesday.
President Tinubu, in a statement released on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, expressed sympathy to the family of Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, saying the deceased left a generational legacy.
Tinubu condoled friends and associates of the retired civil servant, whom he said dedicated his life to the nation’s service, sharing knowledge and experience with old and young, and inspiring many to think and act patriotically.
The President affirmed that the green and white flag remains a legacy that has consistently reflected the nation’s fruitfulness, resilience, and harmony.
Tinubu said he believes Pa Akinkunmi lived and worked for the country’s greatness and rests eternally in a place of honour in Nigeria’s history.
OsunDailyNG earlier reported that Pa Akinwumi, who hails from Owu in Abeokuta, Ogun state, was born on 10 May 1936.
He attended Baptist Day Secondary School, Ibadan, for his Primary education and Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan, for his Secondary education.
He took up an appointment as a Civil Servant at Secretariat Ibadan. After some years of service, he travelled overseas to study Agricultural Engineering at Norway Technical College.
In 1958, during his stay abroad, Akinkunmi stumbled upon an advertisement in a national daily calling for the submission of designs for the Nigerian national flag in view of the imminent Independence from British governance.
He immediately began work on his own entry, which was eventually selected as best among the roughly 2000 entries submitted.
The original design of the flag featured a white band flanked by two green ones; a red sun with streaming rays was located on the white band. The sun was eventually done away with by the overseeing committee to produce the present design.
