- Late Akinkunmi was recognized as one of 50 distinguished Nigerians when Nigeria celebrated her 50th Independence Anniversary.
- In 2014 he was conferred with Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), one of Nigeria’s highest awards.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lamented the failure of the Federal Government to give the designer of the Nigerian national flag, Taiwo Akinkunmi, a state burial.
Akinkunmi died in Ibadan, Oyo State aged 87 in August 2023. His death was announced by his son, Akinkunmi Akinwumi Samuel.
However, the flag designer has not been buried since then as his son claimed that family were waiting for state burial promised for the flag designer by the Federal Government.
But the son told BBC in a podcast two days ago that after over a year in the morgue, the family has now decided to bury the remains of Akinkunmi as the state burial promised by the Federal Government is not forthcoming.
According to him, the flag designer will be buried in Ibadan this weekend. He added that the Oyo State Government has undertaken to take care of the burial expenses.
The son told BBC that the family has been spending 2,000 naira ($1.30; £1.00) a day to keep the body at a morgue.
He said the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (Nico) which was asked to make arrangements for state burial for Akinkunmi has not got in touch with the family after an initial call.
This, he said was why the Oyo state government stepped in to take care of the burial expenses.
Reacting to the development, Atiku, in a statement on his X handle slams the Federal Government over failure to accord the late flag designer a state burial that was promised to his family when he passed on.
He said, “I am immensely disheartened that the Federal Government under Tinubu’s administration has failed to bestow upon the late Michael 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