Flag of Nigeria
The flag of Nigeria was designed in 1959 and first officially hoisted on 1 October 1960.[1] The flag has three vertical bands of green, white, green. The two green stripes represent natural wealth, and the white represents peace and unity.[2][3]
Use | National flag |
---|---|
Proportion | 1:2 |
Adopted | 1 October 1960 |
Design | A vertical bicolour triband of green, white and green. |
Designed by | Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi |
Use | State flag |
Proportion | 1:2 |
Design | A vertical bicolour triband of a green, white and green; charged with the coat of arms in the centre. |
Use | Civil ensign |
Proportion | 1:2 |
Design | A red field with the national flag, in the canton |
Use | State ensign |
Proportion | 1:2 |
Design | A blue field with the national flag, in the canton |
Use | Naval ensign |
Proportion | 1:2 |
Design | A white field with the national flag in the canton, with the Naval seal in the fly. |
Use | Air force ensign |
Proportion | 1:2 |
Design | A sky-blue field with the national flag in the canton, with the air force roundel in the fly. |
Design
The flag is an adaptation of the winning entry from Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi in a competition held in 1959. Akinkunmi was a 23-year-old student at the time he designed the flag.[4] He was studying at Norwood Technical College in London, England, when he saw an advertisement in a newspaper that submissions were being accepted for the design of a new national flag of Nigeria.[3] He submitted a triband design consisting of a white vertical band in the centre, with a green vertical band on each side.[5] The design also contained a radiating red sun in the white vertical centre of the flag.[6] He won the contest, however the judges removed the red sun, leaving only a green and white triband design for the national flag. It is typical for culturally diverse countries such as Nigeria to choose simpler and less complex flag designs in order to avoid inadvertently offending particular ethnic or religious groups.[7] The flag has remained unchanged ever since then. It was first officially used on 1 October 1960, the day Nigeria was granted independence from the United Kingdom.[8]
Nigeria has special ensigns for civil and naval vessels. Some of its states also have flags.[9]
Colour specifications
Colour scheme | Green | White | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
RAL | None |
9003 Signal white | ||
CMYK | 87.23.86.8 | 0.0.0.0 | ||
Hexadecimals | #008753 | #FFFFFF | ||
Decimals | 0,135,83 | 255,255,255 |
Other flags
State flags and ensigns
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
State flag | A vertical bicolour triband of a green, white and green; charged with the coat of arms in the centre | ||
Civil ensign | A red field with the national flag, in the canton | ||
State ensign | A blue field with the national flag, in the canton | ||
1960–1998 | Naval ensign | A white field with a red St. George's Cross, with the national flag in canton. | |
1998–present | Naval ensign | A white field with the national flag in the canton, with the Naval seal in the fly. | |
Air force ensign | A sky-blue field with the national flag in the canton, with the air force roundel in the fly. |
Presidential flags
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Flag of the president of Nigeria | |||
Flag of the president as commander-in-chief of the armed forces | |||
1963 | Former flag of the president, adopted in 1963 |
Military flags
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Flag of the Nigerian Army | |||
Flag of the Nigerian Defence Forces | |||
Historical flags
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1897 | A flag which was captured by British forces from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897 | ||
1804–1903 | Flag of the Sokoto Caliphate | ||
1887–1888 | Flag of the Royal Niger Company | ||
1888–1899 | Flag of the Royal Niger Company | ||
1870–1888 | Flag of the British West African Settlements | ||
1888–1906 | Flag of the Lagos Colony | ||
1884–1893 | Flag of the Oil Rivers Protectorate | ||
1893–1899 | Flag of the Niger Coast Protectorate | ||
1900–1914 | Flag of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate | ||
1900–1914 | Flag of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate | ||
1914–1952 | Flag of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria | British blue ensign with a green six-pointed star described as the Seal of Solomon,[10] surrounding a Tudor Crown with the white word "Nigeria" under it on a red disc. | |
1952-1960 | Flag of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria | British blue ensign with a green six-pointed star described as the Seal of Solomon, surrounding a Tudor Crown with the white word "Nigeria" under it on a red disc. | |
1959 | Akinkunmi's original proposal for the flag of independent Nigeria |
Subnational flags
References
- "Flags, Symbols, & Currencies of Nigeria | Nigeria flag, Nigerian flag, Book making". Pinterest. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- Buhari, Daura (2015). The Pioneer. Ahmadu Bello University press.
- "Flag of Nigeria - Colours, Meaning, History ??". edarabia.com. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- "Flag of Nigeria - Colours, Meaning, History ??". edarabia.com. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- "Who designed the Nigerian flag? | Nigerian Embassy in Tel-Aviv, Israel". www.nigerianembassy.co.il. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- "South East Archives | Premium Times Nigeria". Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- "Flag of Nigeria | Britannica".
- "60 Minutes with the Man Who Designed Nigerian Flag, Articles | THISDAY LIVE". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
- Nigeria: One Nation, Many Flags
- "Flag of Nigeria | Britannica".
- "Abia State (Nigeria)".
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (8 April 2021). "#NSF2020 #Edo2020 t.co/7OaVrvUy5m" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- "Akwa Ibom State (Nigeria)".
- "Anambra State (Nigeria)".
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (8 April 2021). "#NSF2020 #Edo2020 t.co/Jc082Sc2pc" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- "Borno State (Nigeria)".
- "Cross River State (Nigeria)".
- "Delta wins National Sports Festival in style". 16 December 2018.
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (11 April 2021). "Men's high jump final results are in: David Aya of Team Delta wins GOLD Oyedele Cyprian of Team Lagos wins SILVER Fan favorite @aireyys of Team Rivers carts away the BRONZE #Edo2020 #NSF2020 t.co/iuIOJaKnIA" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- "Team Delta Maintains Lead at National Sports Festival". 9 April 2021.
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (6 April 2021). "The stage is set! The athletes are excited. It's been a long journey but we are finally here. Stay with us as we live tweet or click the link in our pinned tweet to watch live. #NSF2020 #Edo2020 #NationalSportsFestival2020 t.co/oAViXuUZ5z" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- "My People, This is Your Victory – Ekiti State Website".
- Rebroadcast: OPENING CEREMONY OF 20TH EDITION OF NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL, EDO 2020. Governor Godwin Obaseki. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via YouTube.
- https://www.facebook.com/Team-Kano-national-youth-game-2019-coloring-108374617225882/photos/108393340557343
- "Youthful Team Lagos Take Back 2nd Position at 6th National Youth Games in Ilorin". 19 October 2021.
- "Team Delta win National Youth Games for record 6th time - P.M. News".
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (8 April 2021). "#NSF2020 #Edo2020 t.co/QnzkUEi5Ud" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- "SHAME: Nasarawa State Contingent Appear in Mexico Jersey During National Youth Games Parade". 17 October 2021.
- "File:Niger State Emblem.PNG".
- "Governor quick to present N5million to #BBNaija winner, but won't keep promises to best teachers". 30 September 2021.
- https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/01/nigerias-unity-is-non-negotiable-%E2%80%95-ogun-gov-abiodun/
- "2022 Para Games: Team Bayelsa Won 93 Medals to Emerge Champion — Transcontinental Times". 17 April 2022.
- "Oyo Trains 3,300 Youths in Agribusiness to Boost Food Security". 10 August 2021.
- Makinde, Seyi [@seyiamakinde] (10 November 2020). "This afternoon, we inaugurated the Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality, Violation of Rights of Citizens and Unlawful Killings. The panel is made up of eleven (11) members led by Justice Bolajoko Adeniji (retired), as Chairman of the Panel. t.co/4p0i1JODI9" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (8 April 2021). "A thread of states at the opening ceremony of the #NationalSportsFestival #Edo2020 #NSF2020 t.co/RJ2YzKoE4I" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- National Sports Festival 2020 [@nsf_edo] (8 April 2021). "#NSF2020 #Edo2020 t.co/sLzzQILoqq" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- "Abuja (Nigeria)".
- "The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). – FCT Residents Engagement Platform".
External links
- Nigeria at Flags of the World
- http://www.flagscorner.com/nigeria-flag/
- Worldstatesmen.org – Nigeria
- Coats of arms and flags of Nigerian states
- 2022 Nigerian National Sports Festival Opening Ceremony State flags can be seen during the parade of states