The history of Nigeria will never be complete if
the flag is not mentioned, talkless of the person who took his time to
design the country’s logo.
History records that the Nigerian flag was
designed in 1958 by one Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi who was just 23-year-old
at that time. After his design was accepted by the government, it was
officially launched on October 1, 1960.
Looking at the flag from then till now, the
country’s logo has maintained its official colors green and white for
many decades. The two green stripes represent Nigeria’s natural wealth,
while the white in the middle represents peace.
82-year-old Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi. Source: Al Jazeera
It could be recalled that Akinkunmi who is now
82-year-old, was a 23-year-old student studying at Norwich Technical
College in London, England. The young man came across an advertisement
in a newspaper that submissions were being accepted for the design of a
new national flag of Nigeria.
He began to show o his skills and he finally came
up with his original submission which had a red radiating sun badge in
the central white vertical band with a green vertical band on each side.
Akinkunmi’s design was accepted but the judges removed the red sun
badge in the middle and the flag has remained unchanged ever since.
The original flag designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi in 1958. Source: Wikipedia
The flag was then launched on October 1, 1960, the
year Nigeria was granted its independence by the United Kingdom (UK).
He was paid the sum of £100 which was equal to $281 (N42,150) in 1959.
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