Nigerian Flag Designer, Taiwo Akinkunmi, Laid To Rest After Year-Long Delay By FG

Taiwo Akinkunmi, the designer of Nigeria’s national flag, was laid to rest in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday, one year after his passing. His burial followed a funeral service held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan, which drew a large crowd of dignitaries, family, and well-wishers.

The service was attended by members of the Oyo State cabinet, the state advisory council, former Oyo Assembly lawmaker Honourable Ibrahim Bolomope, members of the GOFAMINT church, security personnel, the national choir, students of Akinkunmi’s alma mater, and his family members.

In his address, the Acting Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal, praised Akinkunmi as a national figure and expressed disappointment that his burial was not handled by the Federal Government. Lawal emphasized that Pa Akinkunmi, the designer of the Nigerian flag 64 years ago, deserved national recognition and respect, whether alive or dead. He remarked, “His burial should have been a Federal Government affair, not left to the deceased family and the Oyo State government.”

In a statement by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, the state government also noted that the burial of a figure as iconic as Akinkunmi should have been treated as a national celebration. “The commemoration of the death of Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi should be treated as a national festival,” Oyelade said, adding that the flag designer’s origins in Oyo State did not diminish his status as a national hero.

Pastor Femi Omowumi, the General Secretary of GOFAMINT, delivered the sermon, commending Akinkunmi for demonstrating that one could significantly contribute to national development without holding political office.

Akinkunmi Akinwumi, the son of the late flag designer, spoke at the service, expressing the family’s willingness to accept any form of immortalization by the Federal Government to honor his father’s legacy.