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Late Sir Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi

02.02.2025 Featured Family Asks Govt to Immortalise Flag Icon Taiwo Akinkunmi

Published 2nd Feb, 2025

By Tola Owoyele

Akinwunmi Akinkunmi, son of Late Taiwo Akinkunmi, the designer of the Nigerian flag, has appealed to the government to honour the national icon’s memory by immortalising him.

Akinwunmi made this known while speaking with FIJ on Sunday.

“On behalf of the entire Akinkunmi family, I am appealing to the Federal Government of Nigeria to immortalise our late father,” said Akinwunmi.

“I am not sure it would be too much if a higher institution of learning, national monument, or any other notable government institute or property is named after him.

READ ALSO: Taiwo Akinkunmi, Designer of Nigeria’s Flag, Finally Gets Buried

“With that, we, Baba’s children, won’t have to be the ones orally telling our children and the ones yet unborn the feat achieved by late Pa Akinkunmi while he was still alive. Verbally telling our children how great our father was isn’t enough.

“They, I mean the younger ones within the Akinkunmi family, should be able to see for themselves when they grow up that our patriarch was duly honoured by the country for designing the national flag.

“Apart from this, other Nigerians who also plan on doing something exceptional to honour and boost the image of the country will be encouraged to do so, when they know the government would duly appreciate them for it.”

READ ALSO: Who Will Bury Taiwo Akinkunmi? 10 Months After Death, Body of National Flag Designer Still Lying in a Morgue

Akinwunmi’s appeal is coming two days after the government, through the National Orientation Agency, presented a N30 million cheque to the late flag designer’s family.

On June 6, FIJ reported how representatives from the Oyo State Government and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) paid the Akinkunmi family condolence visits after their patriarch died in September 2023.

Prior to their visit, the family had held a meeting during which they resolved to lay the late national flag designer to rest between December 10 and 11, 2023.

READ ALSO: Who Was Taiwo Akinkunmi, Designer of Nigeria’s Flag Who Just Passed Away?

With the state government and NOA’s promise of a national burial, however, the family was forced to postpone the event, hoping the two arms of government would make good their pledges on time.

That did not happen as the NOA failed to make good on its promise. The failed promise also led to the corpse of the national hero spending one year in a morgue in Ibadan.

It took public outcry and a handful of publications from media outfits before the Oyo State Government could keep to its words of funding a befitting burial. He was eventually buried on September 7.

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Published 2nd Feb, 2025

By Tola Owoyele

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