Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has voiced his discontent with the Federal Government’s failure to grant Taiwo Akinkunmi, the designer of the Nigerian national flag, a state burial. Akinkunmi, who passed away in August 2023 at the age of 87, was initially promised a state funeral by the government.
Akinkunmi’s death was announced by his son, Akinkunmi Akinwumi Samuel. However, as of now, the flag designer has not been laid to rest as planned. According to Samuel, the family has been waiting for the state burial that was promised, but it has yet to materialize. Consequently, the family has decided to proceed with a regular burial this weekend in Ibadan, as the state burial promised by the Federal Government remains unfulfilled.
Samuel revealed in a recent BBC podcast that the family has been incurring daily expenses of 2,000 naira ($1.30; £1.00) to keep the body at the morgue. He also noted that the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), which was tasked with organizing the state burial, has not followed up with the family after an initial contact. This lack of communication led the Oyo State Government to step in and cover the burial expenses.
Reacting to the situation, Atiku Abubakar took to his X handle to criticize the Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, for its failure to honor the promise made to Akinkunmi. He expressed his profound disappointment, stating, “I am immensely disheartened that the Federal Government under Tinubu’s administration has failed to bestow upon the late Taiwo Akinkunmi, the creator of our national flag, the state burial he was so rightfully promised. No other patriot embodies the spirit of honour and sacrifice as profoundly as the revered ‘Mr. Flag Man.’ – AA”
Taiwo Akinkunmi was honored as one of Nigeria’s 50 distinguished individuals during the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary and was conferred with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2014, one of Nigeria’s highest awards.
