Did you know that the national flag should not be left outside beyond 6pm? The National flag should be hoisted and flown ceremoniously and briskly at 6am and lowered slowly in the same manner by 6pm everyday. I remember more than 25 years ago when I was in primary school that was usually done religiously and regularly by the Boys’ Scout Club then. Sweet memories of yester-years. I will tell you more about the flag later but let me share some of my personal experience here about how we knowingly and unknowingly, by omission or commission deride our green-white-green national flag, rather than honour it.
One day, I was on my way home. I decided to board a danfo bus (I’ve done that many times before,rather uncountable). Since I was on the plus size, my most favorite spot is usually the seat beside the driver. I targetted and got the seat beside the driver. His bus is new and he appears a funky young driver. He actually put many flags on the front panel of the bus. He had about 12 flags including Nigeria’s flag, APC party flag, Chelsea’s flag, NURTW flag, and that of some other countries like Ghana, Saudi Arabia etc all arranged together and put on the same level. He seemed happy with that “efizzy” arrangement. He was listening to fuji music and dancing on the steering as he was humming the tracts. He appeared a big fan of fuji musicians – Wasiu Alabi Odetola ( Pasuma Wonder ) aka Oganla 1 and Remi Aluko aka Igwe 1, as he was playing their tracks all through the journey. I am not a big fan of fuji music though I listen to it occasionally and liked Oganla 1 amongst other fuji musicians. I disembarked the bus at the last bus-stop.Feeling a little bit tired (ordinarily I used to trek from the bus stop to my house), I decided to take Keke Marwa ( or Keke Napep as it’s called outside of lagos) { commercial tricycle} home. I boarded one and the operator seemed to be another “funky” driver with enough “effizzy”. He too arranged many different flags side-by-side in the front of his tricycle. All the flags were about 16 including Nigeria’s, Ghana’s, APC party, Muslim flag, Arsenal flag and other flags. I disembarked when I got to my destination. It was already late, about 7.30pm. As I walked on my street, I saw the nigerian flag and that of a school in a newly established private nursery and primary school on my street. As I walked towards my house, I thought that isn’t the nigerian flag being abused? Is it being properly used? Isn’t it now becoming an object ignorantly used? I’m not doubting the patrotism of those who used the flags. They appear to be patriots but are just doing things very wrongly. Zeal is one thing, doing things properly is another. Possibly an issue of a wrong / misinformed zeal. I now decided to do a lot of research and reading about the national flag so as to orient my fellow citizens. I also wakawakawaka ( borrowing the words of late afrobeat legend – Fela Anikulapo Kuti). I go many places. I did a lot of going around places,even at odd times to make my full research. This is the reason for this article.To reorient nigerians about our national flag.
An average american respects his flag very much.Likewise many other european nations. They are always very proud of their flags. Why should ours be different? Do u know that during protests against americans, their flags are usually burnt publicly to show disgust and discontempt for them. If their flags werent that respected, burning of american flags to protest american policies,wont form part of the protests especially in middle east nations. It gets to the government because flags are symbols of national pride. A former British PM was supposed to visit Nigeria and amongst many things, coronate an ex nigerian military head of state the post of Field Marshall. Nigerians got knowledge of this and protested this bitterly and burnt british flags. I think the burning of the flags did the magic. The PM did officially visit nigeria but she never decorated the ex military dictator the post of Field Marshall.
Do you know that the national flag should not be left outside beyond 6pm? The National flag should be hoisted and flown ceremoniously and briskly at 6am and lowered slowly in the same manner by 6pm everyday. Nigeria’s flag was first officially hoisted at 12am on October 1, 1960. This fact is clearly stated on Nigeria’s website. However, my research discovered that many young and old Nigerians were totally ignorant of it, while others saw no need for it.
Military and para-military outfits observe this rule. As a routine, every morning and evening, men are detailed to perform the function in a silent drill, aided by coded sounds from a beagle. I have worked as a civilian doctor in a military hospital before where I got to know many of these things. It is their practice to hoist the flag and lower it seven days a week. It is a standard practice in the military. The soldiers detailed to lower the national and unit flags do so simultaneously as the beagle blower provides a coded guide. The flag is folded and kept respectfully till the next day. “The sun must not set on the national flag. Once the flag is lowered, it is no longer binding on you to greet your superior with a salute because what they do is to salute the flag. A junior officer or soldier has to greet his superior officer, but not expected to salute him then.”
I discovered that even workers in government agencies, ministries and parastatals , schools and many private parastatals are not aware that the flag should be lowered every evening. When I was in primary school, I was taught this as part of Social Studies but nowadays,so many changes have occurred to the education curriculum compared to my days. A lot of subjects had been formed out of many older subjects. Now,it is being taught as part of Civic Education. But even as such,the seriousness as to which it is being taught now and the dedication of teachers now, even the willingness and concentration of pupils nowadays,remains very doubtful.
Meanwhile, a tour round areas where some blue chip companies , banks, private schools, government agencies ,private parastatals and even places of worship in Lagos showed that many places flouted other flag laws without realising it. Among other things, the national flag law stipulates that it must not be dirty, torn or flown at par with other flags. It must also not be loosely hoisted.There is more to hoisting the national flag than many know, thus subjecting the symbol of national pride to ignominy. Inasmuch as I wont mention any names, I saw that some government offices didnt fully respect this. Their flags were still left standing well after 6pm, even over the night. Qudos must be given to public schools and police stations as they didnt fail in their responsibilities. Many banks, corporations, private schools and even places of worship were found wanting. It is either the nigerian flags were dirty or worn out or tatterred in many cases, or the flags were not lowered appropriatele and left in the dark overnight, even not lowered. In other cases, the flags were put at par with other flags, were not put above or in the center of all the flags and were treated in many other inappropriate ways. I even spoke to some security personnel of those places and i saw the flags werent treated properly.
Facts on national flag
•Do you know that the national flag should not be left outside beyond 6pm? The National flag should be hoisted and flown ceremoniously and briskly at 6am and lowered slowly in the same manner by 6pm everyday.
•Rarely should the flag be used horizontally or laid flat. In a case when it is placed over a casket, a licence must be granted by the government.
•The flag should fly at the peak of the hoist, except on memorial days or during state funerals as a mark of respect, when it is flown at half-mast.
•When in a room or hung anywhere, no other flag, emblem or insignia should be placed higher than it.
•When the flag is carried in a procession, the carrier should be neatly and properly dressed and must be placed in front.
•When there are two flags and the second flag is not a national flag, the national flag should be in front.
•When other flags are carried along in a procession, the national flag should be in front and at the centre of all other flags in the procession.
•For an audience in auditorium or hall, the flag should be on the right end of the first row.
•For a speaker on the platform, the national flag should be on the speaker’s right hand as he faces the audience. Other flags can be on the left and take their position sideways both left and right.
•Whenever a group of flags are displayed, the Nigerian flag should be at the centre and placed higher than the others.
•Only cars of special dignitaries are allowed to use the flag. Where permitted, the flag should be mounted on the radiator cap or attached to the right fender of the vehicle chassis of key government officials.
•The national flag is forbidden to be in darkness. If it must be left outside for the night, light must be beamed on it
These are just some facts on the Nigerian flag. So you may show patrotism by carrying the flag to the stadium on match days, that isnt inappropriate but to leave it in darkness overnight, or not to lower it appropriately, or to put a dirty,worn out or tattered flag, or to put it at par with other flags or company flags or display it on danfos or keke marwa ( commercial tricycles) or any other inappropriate way is very wrong and not a show of patrotism.
What’s the way forward
Nigerians have not been appropriately educated and enlightened enough. I feel the federal govt through the National Orientation Agency should carry out massive aggressive public enlighenment campaigns to re-orientate nigerians through media adverts, campaigns etc. The ministry of education throgh the schools too should continue enlightening students and pupils who are the future of the nation. After massive enlightnment, the security agencies should enforce the law and arrest and prosectute anybody or organisation found wanting.
Thank you !
Long live Nigeria !!
God bless Nigeria !!!
Michael Adeyemi, a medical doctor, blogger, writer, author, social critic, public and social affairs analyst and commentator, writes from Lagos, Nigeria .
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