Nigerians all over the world were thrown into mourning Wednesday after the announcement of the death of the designer of the Nigeria’s flag, Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, at the age of 87 years.
The death was announced on the Facebook wall of his son, Akinkunmi Akinwumi Samuel.
The announcement reads: “Life is indeed transient; I can say boldly you live a life with a landmark. Continue to rest on, my father! Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi (O.F.R).
Akinkunmi became popular for designing the Nigeria flag, even as he retired as civil servants.
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State on May 10, 1936, he lived in the North as a young boy for some time and was later brought to the West where he was re-enrolled at Baptist Day School, Idi-Ikan in Ibadan.
He finished from Baptist Day School Idi-kan in 1949 and proceeded to Ibadan Grammar School (IGS) in 1950.
Akinkunmi, after working as an agriculturist at the Western Region Secretariat in Ibadan as a civil servant later gained admission to the Norwood Technical College in London where he studied electrical engineering.
While there, he entered the competition for the designing of the flag which he came across in a library.
He participated in the competition and his design was selected as the best in the year 1958
