A lot of us have probably heard the name of the designer of Nigerian flag – Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi. The man was only 23, when he gave Nigeria its national symbol, the green and white flag. How many of you know the sad story of this once famous man? Today we will learn more about the man who designed the Nigerian flag.
The creator of one of the national symbols of Nigeria – the Nigerian flag
Taiwo always loved to study. He was accepted to a university on London so he left his country in order to study at the Norwood Technical College. One day, the future electrical engineer was reading a newspaper, as he often did. He saw an interesting advert in paper. It was calling people to enter the competition of creating a design for the Nigerian flag. The award was 100 pounds, which was about $281 in 1959.
He gave it some thought and decided to enter the competition. He mailed his submission to Lagos. Sometime later, in October he was invited to the London office of the Commissioner of Nigeria in the UK. Young Michael Taiwo was surprised to hear that his green and white design was selected. However, the original design was slightly different – there was a red sun in the white part of the flag.
Taiwo says: “I took the details of what is expected to design a flag that would be used by a country that was about to witness the independence”. He won the competition as well as a place in the history books of his home country.
An important day in the life of Michael Taiwo Akinunmi. Interesting fact – it all happened in October 1959, only a year before his home country was granted full independence. He never thought that he would be the man who designed the Nigerian national flag.
From that day on, people knew him as the Flag Man. He says “I was well-known all over the place”. You’d think the famous man will live a happy life. Not necessarily rich but at least enough for a peaceful retirement.
But unfortunately, not everything can be as we wish.
Who designed the Nigerian flag?
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The once famous Flag Man lives in Ibadan, in one of the poorest areas. You can recognize his house instantly – it is in the colours of the flag he has designed. The house can only be reached by foot.
The only person that keeps Michael Taiwo company is his 28-year old son.
Taiwo has some problems with his memory. He sometimes forgets the names of his two best friends. He even forgets his age, but gladly his son is there to help him. Taiwo doesn’t remember the day Nigeria raised the national flag for the first time, but he can certainly say that he felt happy.
Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi was forgotten by the government until one Sunday Olawale Olaniran helped him. It was in 2006 when they met. Sunday remembers that even though Michael was living in terrible conditions, he never said anything bad about Nigeria.
The first time Sunday and Michael Taiwo met, the boy could not believe his eyes. The man who designed Nigeria flag was sitting in front of him, incoherent and talking to himself. Sunday decided that he has to help him. He got in touch with a journalist. “Even the journalist couldn’t believe the man was still alive”, he says.
Then things started to get better for Michael Taiwo. In 2008 he appeared in a special edition of Who Want to be a Millionaire where he won two million naira. The money was used to complete the house.
A few years later, in October 2010, the Flag Man received “an award for being a distinguished Nigerian”. Can you imagine that it was the first time Akinkinmi was honored in any way by the federal government?
He once visited Abuja in 2014 to receive the national honour from the former president Goodluck Jonathan. He also got a lifetime’s salary of a special assistant, which is about 800,000 naira. However, the once famous man cannot remember what the then-president said to him. But we can understand – it is one of the hazards of growing older.
He used to be in the government service. However, in 1993 he was advised to leave because of his illness. The man himself did not remember what was diagnosed. He just knows that he was “thinking too much” and had a recurring fever.
Mr. Flag Man is still living in his small, green and white house. He still goes to his friends from time to time, even though he forgets their names. We hope that he will not be forgotten by the government as he was once.
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