i wish we could talk about the artistic merit of the flag without tribal sentiments. I'm happy the designer got the recognition.....cos designing the national flag is a big deal..but lets come back to the basics....the flag is not very "bright", speaking from an aesthetic point of view. Its so plain....compared with Jamaica's, South Africa's, UK's etc. Sentiments apart.
i've always held this view since my primary school days in art class.

pentagonal:

imagine the low lifers scolding the fact that the Enugu international airport, was used to airlift pilgrims to mecca. their hatred for everything unlike them is not only nauseating but pathetic.

But for the fact they they went to school and lack the wherewithal to engage in violence act, they would have been worse than the BH guys in term of intolerance.

TribalEAST: Pls who designed the flag of that loser country that surrendered to general obasanjo?

please stop this

TribalEAST: Pls who designed the flag of that loser country that surrendered to general obasanjo?

it seems you dont like any thread that does not have anything to do with tribal bashing.

Tayeni: i wish we could talk about the artistic merit of the flag without tribal sentiments. I'm happy the designer got the recognition.....cos designing the national flag is a big deal..but lets come back to the basics....the flag is not very "bright", speaking from an aesthetic point of view. Its so plain....compared with Jamaica's, South Africa's, UK's etc. Sentiments apart.
i've always held this view since my primary school days in art class.

just my thinking. I dont see any thing special in bringing white and green together. it was not a painstaking piece. this just the truth if the designer was to be an Igbo man, I will still say the same thing.

Balkan: just my thinking. I dont see any thing special in bringing white and green together. it was not a painstaking piece. this just the truth if the designer was to be an Igbo man, I will still say the same thing.

You are an eddiot!

We know your grouse is because the designer is not an Okafor.

BOAR:

You are an eddiot!

We know your grouse is because the designer is not an Okafor.

learn to comment without abuse. the design is too boring

Balkan: learn to comment without abuse. the design is too boring

Your foolish opinion, that have no basis in realism. Go and kick the FG that thought differently from you.

Fool!

Either he did the job with ingenuity of purpose or not, he is worthy of been celebrated. Those days, Nigerians were passionate about their newly born beloved country. They were pragmatic in their dealings unlike what we have this days. Using our unconsciousness this days to judge a fellow of such a great vision is unwise of this generation and unfair to the patriotic citizens of old.

Either he did the job with ingenuity of purpose or not, he is worthy of been celebrated. Those days, Nigerians were passionate about their newly born beloved country. They were pragmatic in their dealings unlike what we have this days. Using our unconsciousness this days to judge, a fellow of such great vision is unwise of this generation and unfair to the patriotic citizens of old.

My prayer for the person who designed the coat of arms; one day he'll be remembered.

It is a pity that some of you compares Nigeria's independence with other nations that fought through the thick to gain independence. Ours came on a platter of gold and I dont think it is a crime if our founding fathers teaches us what simplicity is all about even in their works.

Remember we were told that he included the image of the sun with its rays which was later removed by some observers

Balkan: He was a civil servant, on government pay roll doing his Job. He was paid 100,000 pounds in those which translate to millions. imagine that amount those days. yet he was begging for food before GEJ intervened. if he had designed the flag free of charge I would called him a hero and deserves the award. he ate his cake and had it back. when you here that the man who designed Nigeria flag is left on cared for you will think he designed it for free. very boring flag.

Typical of a particular tribe.

The guy was paid 100 pounds!!!

Stop peddling wrong information.

mogentle: But in an interview, the man opened up that it was a competition and he was rewarded with #100,000 then in 1958 which is equivalent to about #50million these days. So, why the cry about being neglected?

Do u guys read at all? From the recent news I read about the guy, I have come to the knowledge that he was paid 100 pounds.

It's highly unpatriotic to be spreading information u cooked up in your brain.

Imagine, one person has already picked d information up and have already started spreading falsehood wt it.

Before one knows it now, majority of people will take it as the truth.

Pls when u re not sure of something, verifying it before posting shows wisdom.

Nlers sha

In the history of National Awards in Nigeria, can you name more than 15 people who actually deserved it please...In the least he did something for the country not setting it on reverse mode. come off it, whats biting you about him so much

Balkan: Fellow Nairalanders is There any special or ingenuity in the design of Nigerian flag?
a primary one child can put colors together and and give us a master piece.
green has been a colour white too is a common color

Past leaders who have refused to honor him know that that the man did not do a good job.
He just put those two colors together and maybe he submted those colors the same
day he was given the contract with know brain work.

what do yo think. The Man Michael Taiwo Akinkumi was over celebrated in this award.
too much media hype

do you think that wil be a good idea,mate?

agabusta:

Do u guys read at all? From the recent news I read about the guy, I have come to the knowledge that he was paid 100 pounds.

It's highly unpatriotic to be spreading information u cooked up in your brain.

Imagine, one person has already picked d information up and have already started spreading falsehood wt it.

Before one knows it now, majority of people will take it as the truth.

Pls when u re not sure of something, verifying it before posting shows wisdom.

Your 100pounds story is still dem say till you give me your source. I'll supply mine soon.

https://www.nairaland.com/1925933/im-not-expecting-anything-govt
@Agabusta, Read it gently and notice the Encomium magazine as the source.
BTW....
Still waiting for your 100pounds source.

If we can only keep tribalistic sentiments aside.
First of all, Pa Taiwo didn't do the design for Nigeria per se. It was a contest. His own was chosen and he was awarded.

If he was doing it for the sake of patriotism, he should have rejected the monetary award. If he rejected the monetary award and he is placed on salary-for-life today, it would be a different case. But he took the award. Celebrating him is cool. It is his brain-child that we are using as one of our national symbols. But as for paying him money, even when he has been rewarded for his work is not cool. If we go by that, General Yakubu Gowon should also be paid for fighting tooth and nail to make sure Nigeria remained one Nigeria during the Biafran war.

But it's unarguable that he tried. Yes, there might not be much ingenuity to the design. But those colours point to some significant things about Nigeria. The green signifies the mostly Agrarian economy of Nigeria at that time. The white signifies peace - the ease with which Nigeria got her independence with little or no bloodshed at all, in contrast to other countries that had to fight for it.

And moreover what we use today, wasn't his original design. His original design wasn't bland like this. It had a red sun with rays at the top region of the white stripe. But the red sun was removed by the government of the day.

mogentle: https://www.nairaland.com/1925933/im-not-expecting-anything-govt

How did you feel when you were declared the winner?

I was very pleased when I was informed that I won.

What was the prize?

I won a prize of N100, 000.

How old were you because N100,000 was a big money that time?

About 25.

And how would a 25 year old boy spend N100,000?

I collected a bit of necessities.

when was this flag designed? we were still using pounds sterling how come the man said N100,000 liers.
You won green and white apperrently coppied Algeria flag and Soudi Arabia. bc they all got independence before Nigeria

the issue is not the flag nor the compensation but is nigeria going to breakup @ poster.

why was the flag designer singled out for compensation at this time since its not like he wasnt compensated before and neither was he hiding.

Below was Akinkunmi's original design modified by the judges to produce the green-white-green design that has endured till today. Brilliant and coherently significant simplicity can often be lost on those with 'loud' taste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nigeria

Design[edit]
The national flag is an adaptation of the winning entry from Taiwo Akinkunmi in a competition held in 1959. The original had a red sun with streaming rays placed at the top of the white stripe. This was removed by the judges and the flag has not been altered since. Like other countries, Nigeria has special ensigns for civil and naval vessels. Some of its states also have flags.[1] The designer of the national flag was Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, a twenty three-year-old student. He was studying at Norwich Technical College in England when he saw an advertisement in a newspaper that entries were being accepted for the design of a new National flag. In 1959 Akinkunmi's design was chosen as the winner and was first officially used on October 1, 1960, Nigeria's Independence day.[2]

Politics / Re: Nnaji's Power Plant Opens For Business by Balkan(m): 11:33pm On Oct 16, 2012
Ibos are so creative and hardworking. I wish I was Ibo

Balkan

Be very very careful.................

mogentle: https://www.nairaland.com/1925933/im-not-expecting-anything-govt
@Agabusta, Read it gently and notice the Encomium magazine as the source.
BTW....
Still waiting for your 100pounds source.

Well, u obviously was misled by that Encomium mag. But if u took your time to read it properly. You'll see that his son debunked some of the father's statement, and stated that old age has started affecting his memory. He even queried why Encomium should interview him privately, that it is the norm to have a family member around whenever he is to be interviewed.

http://encomium.ng/nigerias-flag-designer-pa-taiwo-akinkunmi-77-finds-joy-in-old-age/

And for your information, Nigeria was not using Naira as at then, that is the first thing that nullifies that information & should make u entertain doubt. We were using pounds.

If the Journalist that conducted the interview was smart and intelligent, he should have realised that as well.

But on the thread u were referencing, someone already corrected u there, that the guy was paid 100 pounds. Instead of u to verify, u still went ahead spreading wrong information about the poor old man.

Here is a source for u since u are still doubting

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/60-minutes-with-the-man-who-designed-nigerian-flag/160096

As a student, he went through the tutelage of late Pa Emmanuel Alayande and also retired as Assistant Superintendent of Agriculture in the Oyo State ministry. But Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi would be remembered as a national icon who designed Nigerian flag in 1959 when he was barely 23. Though, an unsung Nigerian hero, FUNKE OLAODE caught up with Pa Akinkunmi at his Ibadan Oyo State home and unveils the man whose name has become synonymous with the national symbol

Growing up in a polygamous setting
I was born in May 1936 in Ibadan, Oyo State in the then Western Region to the family of the late Pa Akinkunmi. When I was born, my father was working in a foreign firm, PZ in the North while my mother was a petty trader. He was a polygamist with three wives and 10 children. Among my father’s 10 children, my mother had three. So it was interesting growing up in a polygamous setting. Ironically, we didn’t experience acrimony associated with polygamy because my father, as the head of the family was in charge. What really helped was that the children didn’t grow up together because by the time I was getting older, some had finished secondary school and moved to Lagos to seek for greener pasture. So, with an educated father, going to school wasn’t a problem. My father retired from his work while I was still a toddler but still played his role well as a father in ensuring that our school fees were paid on time. Apart from his pension, which he collected at his retirement, he was a very wise man who invested heavily in property. With that, he was able to sustain his family.

Early education
I began my early education in the North. After my father’s retirement, he came down to the West and I was re-enrolled at Baptist Day School, IdI-Ikan in Ibadan. Coming to Ibadan was a great relief because of the harsh condition in the North. As kids, we coped well. I finished from Baptist Day School in 1949.

Memorable childhood events
We were still in the North when the war broke out but still experienced a bit of it. Every child that was born in my era would have recollection of the second world war of 1939 to 1945. I was about three years when the war broke out. So, I wasn’t conscious of that era. By the time it ended in 1945, I was about nine years and I had a vivid recollection of how soldiers were being drafted to the war or kept vigil in many parts of the town. When it was tensed, we would ask to stay at a particular location. We experienced that till the war ended.

I didn’t play pranks as a kid
I couldn’t afford to display any youthful exuberance because my father was a disciplinarian. He was so disciplined that he didn’t indulge us or spare the rod. And if you wanted to proof stubborn, he always had his cane at his disposal and one gets slashed. In a way, this put us in check not to play pranks. Nevertheless, we usually engaged in one or two. For instance, whenever we were asked to fetch water; we would go to flowing streams at the end of the town pretending that we were looking for clean water. In the process, we would use the opportunity to swim. Coming home would be a problem because our red eyes would give us away. As kids, we had a way of escaping my parent’s wrath.

Schooling
I finished from Baptist Day School Idi-kan in 1949 and proceeded to Ibadan Grammar School (IGS) in 1950. IGS was a mini Nigeria because people came from all over the country. I met the likes of Chief Sokan, Mr. Williams, Goodie Ibru, and the late Chief Dr. Omonigbeyin and so on. It was a highly competitive school and I was privileged to be among the ‘privileged’. I was lucky that my father was well established because he was able to take care of my school fees. As said earlier, he had properties and he appointed caretakers to look and monitor them. The money accrued at the end of the day was able to take care for our needs as students. It was interesting to be tutored and groomed under our principal then, the late Papa Alayande who took over from Bishop Akinyele, the founder of the school. Pa Alayande was a good and committed teacher. He was a disciplinarian who always wanted the best for his students. And when you look at the caliber of people who went through IGS all of them turned out well. Again, some of our teachers were expatriates. With Pa Alayande coupled with their (expatriates) efforts, we enjoyed the best of education of that era.

Beginning a career
I left IGS in 1955 to chart a career path for myself. I took appointment as an agriculturist at the Western Region Secretariat in Ibadan as a civil servant. Although, I wanted to go further but there was no money to pursue such luxury of higher learning. After working for a few years, there was this yearning for higher education which I pursued. I had the privilege to travel abroad and attended Norwood Technical College in London where I studied electrical engineering. You would wonder what an agriculturist was doing in engineering…well, they both fall under science. My certificate actually gave me the intuition to go into engineering as a science student. So, I was excited when I finally secured admission to go to England which was another terrain. Coming from Ibadan, an ancient city, I was blown away with the level of infrastructural development and at the same time I exercised caution. It was a cold environment but I was able to cope because I was in good health and we saw the opportunity of a sound education, which foundation had been laid back home at IGS. We had good teachers. As a matter of fact, a couple of them were expatriates. So, schooling in London was like an extension of my secondary school. You know at IGS, we had adapted to them teaching us through the nose. So we didn’t find it difficult to comprehend what we were being taught and didn’t find it strange when academic commenced in a foreign land.

Coming back to Nigeria from England
There was opportunity to stay back in England after my studies, but there was this spirit of patriotism in people like us to come back home. After my training at Norwood Technical College, London, I returned to Nigeria in 1963 and went back to the agricultural department at the secretariat in Ibadan to continue where I stopped. I coped very well as a returnee because there was this urge to contribute one’s quota to the development of the state and Nigeria at large. I worked as a civil servant till 1994 and retired as Assistant Superintendent of Agric.

Designing Nigeria’s Flag
I was in England when I got involved in what stands me out today as ‘Mr. Flag Man’. I was in the Library when I saw an advertisement in Daily Times (Nigerian Newspaper) in the late 50s. I saw this advertisement looking for somebody to design National Flag which would be used for independence celebration in Nigeria in October 1960. I took part in the competition and sent it to Nigeria. My entry was dropped at the then legislative chambers, the Tafawa Balewa now Race Course. Fortunately, my design was picked among 2000 participants from all over. Few weeks later, a letter was sent to me in England that my design won. I felt elated and on top of the world that I had done something significant for my country. When you are talking about inspiration, I can tell you that God is the greatest inspirator. But designing an acceptable design that is still being used 53 years on was borne out of my experience as a Nigerian. One couldn’t have expected a science student to be able to come up with such design that has become a national symbol. I was a science student who was involved in technical drawing of equipment. Also, my observation back home, going to school and later going to work and my day-to-day activities actually helped me. The people I lived with during my school days coupled with my experience as an artist helped me to be able to fabricate that design.

I won 100 pounds for designing Nigeria’s flag
I sent in my entry to Nigeria and moved on with my studies in England. I was surprised, elated and excited when my name was announced as the winner. I was about 23 years old and it was such a great honour for me. Actually, I didn’t know I would win. I won a prize of a hundred pounds. The presentation was carried out at the Nigerian embassy in London. And it has been in use since then. But here I am at 77, I have not been recognized or given national honour beyond a 100 pounds received 53 years ago in London. The only time I was remembered was in 2010 when Nigeria celebrated her Golden Jubilee. I was among the 50 nominees that President Goodluck Jonathan presented with a Gold Medal and a certificate. There was a time a group of students honoured me and added MON in front of my name in the posters. I was embarrassed and I came out that I have not been giving a MON or national recognition. I am happy that in my life time I am still being celebrated by people who felt I have contributed to my country. Recently, August 23rd to be precise, the Nigeria-Britain Association celebrated me in Lagos in appreciation of my involvement with regards to the designing of the Nigerian flag years ago. In attendance were Mrs. Francesca Emanuel CON, Chief Keith Richards, MD of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mike Purves, director United Kingdom Trade and Investment amongst others. Mr. Ed Keazor, a blogger and historian gave a presentation of my life. I was humbled that someone somewhere still cares. Nevertheless, the best moment of my life was still that exciting moment when my name was announced as the winner of Nigeria’s flag. It was a feat for me.

Getting personal
I came back to Nigeria in 1963 and in 1964 I went back to the secretariat and settled down as a civil servant. I was about 27 years when I came back, matured, had a regular income and there was this urge to start my own family. There was a young damsel who caught my fancy. Her name was Kudirat. She was a trader, selling kitchen utensils and materials. As a returnee I tried one or two educated ladies but I didn’t succeed. But one thing I realised in life is that in all facets of life (even beyond marriage) knowing what suits you. I courted her and we got married. The marriage is blessed with children. Some have graduated while some are still schooling.

Fulfilling life’s aspiration
Can any man fulfill life’s aspirations? My answer is no because we all aspire for greater things. I went to school, got a job, and have my family to interact with. In my case, I think to some degree, I can say well done. I thank God for playing a vital role in my life, passing through Nigeria and making an impact. Whether national recognition or not, I am sure when the names of Nigeria’s heroes are being mentioned, my name will be conspicuously present.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/60-minutes-with-the-man-who-designed-nigerian-flag/160096

Flags are not design primarily for beauty purpose but for transmitting ideology, beliefs and virtue of a nation.

#ProudtobeNigerian #GreenWhiteGreen

exxell:

The last person I knew that was always talking like this is now mad.... Keep it up bro.

just as u witness all ur relatives madness, i guess is now ur turn to go insane