Nearly two years after his passing, the Federal Government on Thursday gave N30 million to the family of the late Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, who designed the national flag.
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, accompanied by the Oyo State Director of the agency, Olukemi Afolayan, made the official presentation of the cheque on behalf of the Federal Government at the Elebu, Ibadan, Oyo State residence of the late hero.
The PUNCH reports that the late Akinkunmi died on August 29, 2023, at the age of 87.
On September 4, 2023, President Bola Tinubu sent a government delegation, led by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on a condolence visit, where it pledged to give the late Nigerian hero a national burial and financial support to the family.
“I am aware, even though I wasn’t appointed Director General of the NOA at that time, that the President gave a directive that this place should be visited and that the government must commiserate with this great Nigerian, and the Minister of Information with the then Director General of the NOA came to commiserate with the family.
“The transition, which led to my appointment and resumption, delayed the process of finalizing the effort at showing appreciation to the family.
“The donation of N30 million to the family of the renowned national flag designer was not to pay for the services of the late legend but to support his family in appreciation of his contributions to the country,” Issa-Onilu said.
The NOA DG added, “We are here in the home of a great citizen of this country who developed the national flag that we all know as Green White Green that we use up till today.
“Entries were made by several Nigerians, and his design was considered the most representative of who we are as a people. 64 years later, we are still using that flag, which shows the creativity and ingenuity of this very important Nigerian.”
He said though the hero had passed, he left great Nigerians behind, including his children and members of his family.
“On behalf of the Federal Government, on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, we wish to present just a token of appreciation to this family. This appreciation will be a continuous thing,” he said.
The NOA DG enjoined the family to keep the legacy of the late Akinkunmi.
One of the deceased children, Akinwunmi, thanked the government for the support, noting that the gesture was an indication that the nation acknowledged their father’s contributions.
Earlier, the NOA DG paid a working visit to the Akinyele Trailer Park, where he enlightened residents against scooping petrol from crashed tankers.
He noted that Nigeria had lost many lives in many parts of the country scooping petrol from tankers.
“Many Nigerians have lost their lives to fuel tanker explosions, with the latest in Enugu State, claiming the lives of no fewer than 18 persons.
“The Enugu incident followed a similar incident in Niger where more than 80 people reportedly lost their lives while scooping fuel from the crashed tanker,” he said.
