A-ARTs: Taiwo Akinkunmi: Hero of Nigeria’s 54th Independence Anniversary

Suddenly, the designer of Nigeria’s national flag, Taiwo Akinkunmi, 77, becomes the hero of his country’s 54th independence amid kudos and knocks for the government’s gesture.

Taiwo Akinkunmi

On September 28, 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan Jonathan, few days ago, conferred the national honour award of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) on Taiwo, during the national award ceremony where over 300 awardees received various hounors.

For Akinwunmi, the national honour just added to several awards he had got in the past. Some of his honours in the past include Grand Master of the Order of the Niger of the Students Union of the University of Ibadan (2005); Merit Award of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council (1996); Merit Award of Support to Services to Humanity of the Nigeria Council of Women Societies (2004); Merit Award of the WAI Brigade of Nigeria, Lagos State Command (2009); as well as the Human Rights Hall of Fame Award of the Centre for Human Rights Research and Development (2005). In 2009, he got a Distinguished Nigerians / Friends of Nigeria Golden Jubilee Special Presidential Award.

Original design by Akinwunmi

In 1958 Akinwunmi was a student of Norwood Technical College, U.K. when he designed Nigeria National Flag. He participated in a Nigeria competition about designing the national flag. And among the over 2000 entries, Akinwunmi’s green white green design was picked. He got one hundred pounds (100 pounds) prize award for the design.

Akinwunmi attended Baptist Day Secondary School (1949) Ibadan and Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan (1950) for his secondary education. He got a job in the civil service at Secretariat Ibadan. After working for a few years, he ttraveled overseas for further education to study Agric. Engineering at Norwich Technical College.