Nigerian Independence Day

Northampton Town Council will be raising the Nigerian Flag in celebration of 62 years of Nigerian Independence at 9am on the 30th September, 2022.

Saturday, 1st of October is Nigerian Independence Day. Together with guests from the Nigerian Community Northampton, Northampton Town Council will raise the Nigerian Flag, in celebration of 62 years of Nigerian independence. The Flag raising will take a place a day early, on Friday 30th September at 9am and will remain in mast for Nigerian Independence Day.

Mrs Claudette Amorighoye, Chair of the Nigerian Community Northampton said, "We join the rest of the world to celebrate the life of service lived by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. As Nigerians, we are proud to have had her as our Queen up until 1963 when we became a Republic and we still hold affectionately, memories of her last visit to our country in 2003. May Her Majesty's soul rest in peace. I am delighted that the flag of Nigeria, the most populous Black country in the world is being raised, for the first time here in Northampton to mark our country's Independence Day".

The flag of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi in 1959 and first officially hoisted on 1 October 1960. Taiwo was a 23-year old student at the Norwich Technical College, London, when he won the competition to design the new national flag of Nigeria. The flag has three vertical bands of green, white and green. The two green stripes represent natural wealth, and the white represents peace and unity.

For more information, please email mayor@northamptontowncouncil.gov.uk