“Nigeria’s flag does not have a coat of arms in the middle” – Fashola faults display on National Colours

A former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Monday, recalled an instance where the national flag was misrepresented, prompting caution against the misuse of national symbols such as the anthem and flag.

Fashola made the observation on Monday during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Empowering Tomorrow: A New Vision for Nigeria, a special programme on the 63rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence celebrated annually on October 1.

“Just this afternoon, I was asked to hoist a flag of Nigeria,” he said.

“By the time the flag unfurled, I saw that there was a coat of arms in the middle and I whispered to my host that ‘this is not the flag of Nigeria’. Nigeria’s flag does not have a coat of arms in the middle. It is green, white, and green.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that the National Orientation Agency, which has offices in all the states of the country, produces and sells the flag. 

He therefore underscored the need to deal with “some of the small things that matter”, adding that Nigerians must be intentional.

“When I was in primary school, these were the symbolisms of those Independence Day parades, Children’s Day parades, and this was how we were taught to stand up or maintain our position whenever we heard Nigeria’s national anthem being rendered,” Fashola said.

“You sit today and you shudder in your skin what happens today, what people have been taught when the national anthem is rendered.”

The former governor of Lagos also spoke out against the rendition of the national anthem “at every little event”, including when the president appears at a social event, saying it is to be sung as the symbol of the country’s sovereignty.

“I have had cause to ask people not to sing the anthem for me, either as governor or minister, because I’m not a sovereign. It’s a projection of our minds,” he said.

“These are, for me, the important things to talk about and that’s why I say this anniversary provides an opportunity for reflection and, indeed, inflexion.”