Babatunde Fashola

Former Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola has lamented about the misuse of national symbols such as the anthem and flag.

The former Minister of Works and Housing recalled an instance where the national flag was misrepresented.

According to him, while hoisting the flag, he discovered the coat of arms on it.

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.

According to him, “Just this afternoon, I was asked to hoist a flag of Nigeria.

“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.

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