The late Mr Taiwo Akinkunmi who designed the Nigerian flag was an iconic individual the nation will never forget, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said on Monday.
The Minister, while visiting the Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, in Ibadan said Akinkunmi designed one of the most powerful symbols of Nigerians’ collective existence as a nation.
Idris, who was received by the Oyo State Deputy Governor, Mr Adebayo Lawal, said this was why President Bola Tinubu deemed it very important to send a Federal Government delegation.
“The President received news of late Pa Akinkunmi’s death with regrets. But he also thanked God for the fact that it was a life well spent for Pa Akinkunmi.
“President Tinubu deemed it necessary for the Federal Government to come and pay the last respects to him by sympathising with the Akinkunmi family, the state government and the entire people of Oyo state,” he said.
The Minister said Akinkunmi, who was popularly known as”Mr Flag” designed a national flag which has gone on to become a symbol of the country’s unity.
“It has become the symbol of our independence, our sovereignty and symbol of our collective existence as people of Nigeria.
“President Tinubu is proud of this gentleman for his notable role in making us a nation.
“The colours of the flag are symbolic. There can never be a better symbol for us as a nation and of our existence as a nation
“The national flag has the colours of green and white, with the green symbolising the rich natural resources Nigeria possesses as a nation, and the white a symbol of our collective existence as a people living in peace and harmony with each other.
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“There can therefore never be a better symbol about collective existence as a nation within the context of what Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi has given us,” he said.
Idris further noted that the deceased was indeed a patriotic Nigerian, one who believed in the collective existence of Nigeria as a nation.
The Minister, however, said while the Federal Government was yet to receive any request from the Akinkunmi family, it was ready to look into any request the family forwarded to it.
In his response, the Deputy Governor appreciated President Tinubu for the kind gesture of sympathising with the family, the government and people of Oyo State.
He said the state government believed that the legacy of unity left by the late Pa Akinkunmi, through the Nigerian flag he designed, would not be lost on Nigerians.
The Deputy Governor noted that the country’s flag has stood the test of time from 1959 when Akinkunmi at age 23 designed it till date.
“While we as a nation have had cause to change the national anthem, the national flag still remained unchanged, and this is because the nation didn’t see reason to change it,” he said.
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Garba Abari, was part of the Federal Government delegation.
The Minister had earlier on arrival been received by heads of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation’s agencies and parastatals in Ibadan.
They had gone on to accompany him on the condolence visit.
