President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday, September 29, 2014 declared that the designer of the Nigerian flag, Pa Micheal Akinkunmi should be placed on a lifetime salary.
This was after the President honoured him with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) award.
This was made known at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja during the National Honours Awards presentation ceremony.
While approving the placement of Akinkunmi on a lifetime salary, the president said his salary should be equivalent to that of a senior special adviser in the Presidency.
Born in May 1936 in Ibadan, Oyo State in the then Western Region to the family of the late Pa Akinkunmi, Sir. Michael Akinkunmi was barely 23 years old when in the year 1958 while studying in London, entered for a competition advertised in the newspapers for the design of a national flag for Nigeria.
However, it is sad that aside the prize money of 100 Pounds given to him, Akinkunmi had never been honoured in any way by federal government successors.
While expressing gratitude to the National Honours Award recipients, the President also directed that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammaed to give each of the three of the award recipients a House in the Federal Capital Territory for their dedication to duty and honesty in service.
The three awardees who received the houses include a Traffic Warden, Corporal Solomon Dauda, head of Presidential steward at the State House, Onuh Isaac Micheal and Mr. Imeh Usuah, an Airport taxi driver who returned the sum of 18 million forgotten in his car by a foreigner.
