National Award Means Nothing To Me At This Age – Pa Akinkunmi

Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, the man who designed the Nigerian national flag 54 years ago, is not a happy man even though the government made series of promises to him after the national merit awards in Abuja. Adebayo Waheed writesThe designer of the Nigerian flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, who was recently honoured by the government with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) has expressed bitterness at the long years of neglect by previous regimes in Nigeria.Many thought that the old man should be basking in the euphoria of his recent recognition, he, however, told LEADERSHIP Sunday, that the award meant nothing to him because, to him, the award came at a time he had already spent his useful days in penury.
When LEADERSHIP Sunday visited the octogenarian at his residence in Ibadan, it was discovered that due to old age, his speech has become so incomprehensible.According to him, he cannot understand why the award was given to him now because he had already spent his active years in poverty in the same country he designed the flag for.It can be recalled that apart from the national honours award, he was also appointed as special assistant to presidents of the Federal Republic for life even though he would not be operating from an office, but entitled to a monthly salary until his death.When this father of four, now in his old age, was asked what he wished for Nigeria at 54, he simply said, “As far as independence is concerned, I wish all and sundry well in our interactions among ourselves and among various groups in the country”.Akinremi, the first child of the octogenarian, who was with him when LEADERSHIP Sunday called at his three-bed room bungalow along Samadex area, off Iwo Road, Monatan, Ibadan said his siblings were always around to take care of their father.He said that the old man had lost his memory which informed why the award and appointment meant nothing to him. According to him, the old man had been cheated for a long time, especially when one considers the fact that he is just remembered for what he did for the country after almost 55 years. “We only thank God for the grace He has given to our father to be alive to witness the occasion, even though, as far as he’s concerned, the whole thing has no meaning to him which was reflected in the way and manner he was responding to your questions the other time”, he said.Akinremi, who holds a National Diploma in Building Technology, was bitter at the neglect his father had suffered over the years. He expressed pessimism on the gesture of the federal government saying the promises made by the government may end up as mere empty promises.He based his fear on the fact that since the funfare that accompanied the award and appointment in Abuja, no concrete step had been taken on the part of the government to show sincerity and commitment towards actualising the promise.Akinremi said, “Such steps should include provision of security for the old man, means of mobility and other things that commensurate with his new appointment if truly the government is committed and sincere”, he said.He used the opportunity to debunk the claim that the bungalow was built for the man by a previous administration in the state, saying, “Nobody bult the house for us. There was a time I and my siblings went with our father to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on NTA in Lagos.“It was at that programme that our father won N2m with which this house was bought and renovated. So, if anybody is saying a particular government built it for us, I say emphatically no”, he stated.Akinremi charged the reporter to help drum it in the hearing of the government not to make an empty promise to the old man, but, to ensure that, “The decision to give appointment to the old man is implemented to the letter so that his efforts would not be in vain”, he said.

source: Leadership Newspapers