First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has unveiled the OneNigeria/UnityFabric, which she described as a symbol of national unity.
The fabric was designed by 25-year-old Miss Mofinyinfoluwa Bamidele a graduate of the University of Ibadan.
Bamidele, who went home with a prize of N25m, emerged the winner of a fabric designs competition, organised by the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), chaired by First Lady.
In her keynote address at the unveiling of the #OneNigeria/UnityFabric and announcement of the winner of the competition held on Monday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, Tinubu explained that the concept of a national fabric was inspired by her visit to Zimbabwe in December 2023, where she saw a similar initiative.
She said the OneNigeria/UnityFabric competition was launched in February 2024, calling on youths aged 15-25 to create a design that would represent Nigeria’s unity.
A panel of judges, including renowned fashion icon Princess Zainab Abba Folawiyo, international textile fashion designer Miss Banke Kuku and other friends of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), selected the best design from 111 entries.
Remi Tinubu commended the rigorous selection process, and thanked the judges and members of the Governing Board of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) for their efforts.
“Today, my heart is filled with joy as we have just witnessed the unveiling of the #OneNigeriaUnity Fabric, the announcement of the winner of the competition and the presentation of prize ceremony. I say big congratulations to Miss Bamidele Mufiyinfoluwa, she did quite a fantastic job.
“I would like to briefly share the background to what led us to this moment. In December 2023, I visited Zimbabwe for the launch of #WeAreEqual Unifying Campaign of the Organization of the African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and on this visit, I came across the concept of a national fabric, which they have, and this fascinated me”.
“I believe this concept is a unifying one, where we can infuse our cultural diversity and break down tribal barriers to identify as a people of one nation. So I decided that it would be a good idea to have a similar experience”.
“Upon my arrival, at one of the meetings of the Governing Council of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), I mooted the idea and to my surprise, everyone seemed excited about it. Thereafter, the #OneNigeriaUnity Fabric Competition was announced through various media platforms in February 2024, calling on all our youth between the ages of 15 to 25 to create a design for a fabric that will be launched as the national unity fabric.
“Entries for this competition closed on the 30th of June, 2024. On 2nd of July, 2024, we invited two panelists; a renowned fashion icon, Princess Zainab Abba Folawiyo, who has been at the forefront of the fashion industry for 60 years, and Miss Banke Kuku, an international textile fashion designer. She’s the one who actually designed the gift scarves I give out because she’s a textile designer.
