Nigeria’s flag consists of three vertical stripes in green, white, and green. The two green panels frame a central white panel, creating one of Africa’s most recognizable simple tricolor designs.
The flag was designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, who won a national competition held as Nigeria prepared for independence. His original submission included a red quarter sun, but the sun was removed from the final design. The completed flag was officially adopted at midnight on 1 October 1960, the day Nigeria became independent.
Green is traditionally associated with Nigeria’s agricultural wealth and fertile land. White represents peace and unity. The plain national flag should not be confused with Nigeria’s state flag, which places the national coat of arms in the center of the white stripe.
The color order matters. Italy has green, white, and red, while Ireland has green, white, and orange. Ivory Coast reverses Nigeria’s arrangement and uses orange, white, and green. Nigeria is the only one of these choices with green on both outer stripes.