Mr Flag Man: Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, laid to rest without state-burial

After a year-long wait for a promised state funeral, the family of Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, the designer of Nigeria’s flag, finally laid him to rest on Friday.

Akinkunmi, who passed away at the age of 87 in 2023, was celebrated for his immense contribution to the nation’s identity.

The funeral service, organized by the Oyo State government, took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan. The event saw a large turnout of mourners, including family members, friends, and government officials, all gathered to honor his lasting legacy.

Akinkunmi, affectionately called “Mr. Flag Man,” designed the Nigerian flag in 1958 and was awarded £100 for his timeless design, which has since become a symbol of unity and national pride.

News360 Nigeria had also reported how former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had berated the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government over its failure to fulfil its promise to give Taiwo Michael Akinkunmi a befitting state burial after one year of his death.

Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, said he was “immensely disheartened” that the Nigerian government failed to fulfilthe promise of a state burial rightfully promised Akinkunmi’s family.

Reacting to a report by the BBC where Akinkunmi’s son, Akinwumi said that the family had abandoned the hope of the promised state burial of their father after one year, Atiku in a post on X noted that no other patriot embodied the spirit of honour and sacrifice as profoundly as Akinkunmi who was reverred as “Mr. Flag Man.”

The former Vice President wrote, “I am immensely disheartened that the Federal Government under Tinubu’s administration has failed to bestow upon the late Michael Akinkunmi, the creator of our national flag, the state burial he was so rightfully promised.

“No other patriot embodies the spirit of honour and sacrifice as profoundly as the revered ‘Mr. Flag Man.’”