The Designer of the Nigerian National Flag Taiwo Akinkunmi has passed awaynat the age of 87.
Samuel Akinkunmi who is the son of shared the news of his father’s demise through a post on Facebook. In the post On August 30, 2023, Samuel expressed the transient nature of life and commemorated his father’s impactful life. He referred to his father as Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi (O.F.R) and hailed him as a remarkable individual.
Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, also known as Pa Akinwumi, hailed from Owu in Abeokuta, Ogun state. He was born on May 10, 1936.
During his early education, he attended Baptist Day Secondary School in Ibadan for his primary schooling and later joined Ibadan Grammar School for his secondary education.
He embarked on a career as a civil servant at the Ibadan secretariat. After some years of service, he went abroad to study Agricultural Engineering at Norway Technical College.
It was during his time overseas in 1958 that Akinkunmi came across an advertisement in a national newspaper. The advertisement called for submissions of designs for the Nigerian national flag, coinciding with Nigeria’s impending independence from British governance.
