Nigeria Flag

What does the flag of Nigeria look like? The Nigerian flag is a vertical triband of green, white, and green. Nigeria's bicolor triband flag was officially adopted on October 1, 1960 as the national flag.

Meaning of the Flag

Nigeria’s flag has a very simple design, but it has significant meaning behind the design. The flag is comprised of three vertical bands, each the same size as the next. The left and right bands are green, while the center bad is white. The green bands are designed to represent the natural wealth of the nation, while the white band was designed to represent peace.

Colors of the Flag

As previously mentioned, the Nigerian flag has just two colors: green and white. Green represents natural wealth, while white represents peace. There are several variants of the Nigerian flag. This includes the state flag, which features the same design but with the nation’s coat of arms located in the center. There is also a civil ensign that features the green and white bands in the canton and a red field. The state ensign is very similar to the civil flag, with the exception of the blue field replacing the red.

History of the Flag

Nigeria’s flag design is based upon the design created by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi. A competition to design the flag was held in 1959, and Akinkunmi—then a 23-year-old college student—designed a flag very similar to the modern flag, with the exception of a sun badge located in the center. The design was chosen as the winner and was altered to remove the sun badge. It was first flown on October 1, 1960 when Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom, and the original design still flies today.

Flag Facts

Nigeria has special flags for civil and naval vessels. Some states in the nation also have their own flags.

Former flags used by the country include the flag of the Royal Niger Company, the flag of the British West African Settlements and the flag of the Lagos Colony.