By Theresa Moses
Before the fireworks, before the speeches, before the midnight celebrations that ushered Nigeria into independence, there was a young Nigerian student in London quietly thinking about home.
It was 1958. Nigeria was still under British colonial rule, but independence was no longer a distant dream. Preparations were underway for the emergence of a new nation, and with independence came the need for symbols that would define Nigeria to the world.
Among them was a national flag. Thousands of miles from home, a young engineering student at Norwood Technical College in London, named Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi came across a newspaper advertisement announcing a competition for its design. He entered.
What followed would give Nigeria one of its most enduring national symbols; but it would also produce a story of recognition, neglect, rediscovery and, ultimately, national honour.
Akinkunmi’s inspiration came from the Nigeria he knew. He thought of the country’s land, farms and agricultural wealth. He thought of the need for peace and unity in a country made up of different peoples and communities.
His design featured three vertical panels: green, white and green; with a red sun in the centre of the white panel.
The green represented Nigeria’s rich agricultural land and natural resources, while the white symbolised peace and unity. The red sun completed his original design.
He sent the entry home to Nigeria. When the submissions were considered, his design emerged as the winning entry.
But the flag that eventually became Nigeria’s national emblem was not exactly the one he had drawn. The red sun was removed.
The reason for the alteration has remained part of the history surrounding the flag, but the final design retained the three vertical panels that Nigerians have known for generations.
For his winning entry, Akinkunmi received £100. He could not have known then that his drawing would soon become part of the birth of a nation.
Then came the night Nigerians had been waiting for. On September 30, 1960, thousands gathered at the Lagos Race Course; now known as the Tafawa Balewa Square: for the historic independence ceremony.
The Union Jack, the symbol of British colonial rule, was lowered for the last time. Then came the green-white-green.
As Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960, the new national flag rose into the night sky. For a country beginning a new chapter, the moment was historic.
For Akinkunmi, it was the realisation of an idea that had begun with a newspaper advertisement in London.
Back home, he became popularly known as “Mr. Flag Man.” But as the years passed, the excitement surrounding the young flag designer faded.
Nigeria moved through decades of political change, economic challenges, civil war and democratic transitions.
The flag remained visible through it all. Its designer, however, gradually disappeared from public memory. The nation never stopped using his creation.
Yet many Nigerians no longer knew who had designed it. By 2006, reports even suggested that the man behind the flag had died.
But a young student, identified in reports as Olaniran, was unwilling to accept the story without finding out for himself. He began searching.
His search eventually led him to Ibadan, where he discovered something extraordinary. Akinkunmi was alive.
The man whose design had flown over Nigeria for decades was living quietly, largely away from the national spotlight. His circumstances were far removed from the importance of his contribution. He reportedly depended on neighbours for support, while irregular pension payments made even everyday living difficult. It was a painful contrast.
A nation proudly displayed the symbol he had helped create, yet the person behind it had become almost invisible. The discovery did not remain private. Akinkunmi’s story was taken to the media, and an Independence Day newspaper report in 2006 reintroduced him to Nigerians.
For many citizens, it was a revelation. The familiar green-white-green suddenly had a human face. The name Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi began circulating again, and public interest in the forgotten flag designer grew.
Two years later, in 2008, he appeared on a special edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. There, he received a cheque for ₦2 million. The money helped him complete his house.
And in a fitting tribute to his life’s work, the house was painted green, white and green. The colours that had made his name were now part of the place he called home.
The recognition continued. In 2014, the Nigerian government honoured Akinkunmi with the national award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). He was also granted a lifetime salary equivalent to that of a Presidential Special Assistant.
After decades in which his contribution had received little public attention, the nation had finally given formal recognition to the man whose design had become inseparable from Nigeria’s identity. It was recognition that came late, but it mattered.
Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi died in 2023 at the age of 87. His passing marked the end of the life of a man whose contribution could be seen almost everywhere in Nigeria, even when his name was not known. The story of his life is therefore not simply the story of a flag. It is a story about memory. It reminds us that history is often carried by ordinary people who make extraordinary contributions without knowing how far the consequences of their actions will travel.
Today, the green-white-green flies over Nigeria as a symbol of national identity. Children grow up learning its colours. Soldiers salute it. Schools raise it. Government institutions display it. Nigerian athletes carry it onto international stages.
For generations born long after independence, the colours can be viewed not merely as a national emblem, but also as a reminder of the individuals whose ideas helped shape Nigeria’s journey to independence.
Theresa Moses is a Lagos Based Journalist and can be reached via email: [email protected]
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