Though the Federal Government may have delayed in fulfilling its promise of assisting the family of Akinkunmi after his death, it is better late than never.
By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – Flag Foundation of Nigeria (FFN) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, over the Federal Government’s N30 million support to the family of the late Nigerian flag designer, Mr Taiwo Akinkunmi.
The Director General and founder of FFN, Mr Chris Agiri, said this in a statement on Friday, January 31, 2025, while reacting to the presentation of the N30 million by Issa-Onilu to Taiwo’s family, on behalf of the federal government, in Ibadan on Thursday.
Issa-Onilu said the donation was to support Akinkunmi’s family and appreciate him for his contribution to the country.
Agiri said the gesture to the family of Akinkunmi who died on August 30, 2023, was another demonstration by the Tinubu’s administration of its commitment to ensure that the labour of our past heroes are not in vain.
He recalled that President Tinubu had also on September 4, 2023, sent a delegation led by Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, on a condolence visit to the late Akinkunmi’s family in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, adding that the FFN had been at the vanguard of efforts to give national recognition and succour to the late flag designer many years before his death.
He said though the Federal Government may have delayed in fulfilling its promise of assisting the family of Akinkunmi after his death, it is better late than never.
“Issa-Onilu was emphatic that the N30 million donation was not to pay for the services of Akinkunmi, but to support his family in appreciation of his contributions to the country.
“As an institution devoted to reawakening and instilling the essence of patriotism in Nigerians by singling out the Green-White-Green flag as the singular most powerful symbol of our national status as one strong and united people, we commended this gesture by the Tinubu’s administration.
“We also commend the Director General of NOA for his efforts to ensure that the Federal Government fulfilled its promise to the Akinkunmi’s family. This is in line with what we have worked and clamored for over the years. Thank you, President Tinubu. As FFN, we assure Nigerians of our commitment to reigniting and promoting ideals of patriotism and national pride in Nigerians,” Agiri said.