Nigeria’s national flag designer, Taiwo Akinkunmi has been buried in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital after one year.
The remains of the octogenarian were interred on Friday after a funeral service held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan.
The service was attended by members of the Oyo State cabinet; members of the state advisory council; former Oyo Assembly lawmaker, Honourable Ibrahim Bolomope; GOFAMINT members; personnel of various security agencies, the national choir, students of Akinkunmi’s alma mater family members, among others.
In his remarks, the Acting Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal, described Akinkunmi as a national figure, saying that his burial should have been a Federal Government affair, rather than being left to the deceased family and the Oyo State government.
Lawal noted that Pa Akinkunmi represented a classic example of a national icon, adding that the Federal Government should not abdicate its duty to give him the deserved respect and honour, whether alive or dead.
Meanwhile, the State Government in a statement the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade said “The commemoration of the death of an iconic figure like Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, who designed the Nigerian flag 64 years ago at the age of 23, should be treated as a national festival.”
“The fact that Pa Akinkunmi hailed from this part of the country does not diminish his status as a national hero.”
In his sermons, the General Secretary of GOFAMINT, Pastor Femi Omowumi, said Pa Akinkunmi had demonstrated the fact that one could contribute to national development without necessarily holding a political office.
The son of the deceased, Akinkunmi Akinwumi, while speaking at the service, said the family was open to any manner the Federal Government deemed fit to immortalise their father.
