Samuel Adegboyega

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Samuel Adegboyega
Born
Samuel Gbadebo Adegboyega

(1896-04-01)1 April 1896
Died23 October 1979(1979-10-23) (aged 83)
Lagos State, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Occupationclergyman
Years active1916–1979
Spouse
Oloori Felicia Adegboyega
(m. 1920)
Children5

Samuel Gbadebo Adegboyega, MON (1 April 1896 – 23 October 1979) was a Nigerian Christian clergyman widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of Pentecostalism in Nigeria. He is the first territorial chairman of the Lagos and Western/Northern Areas Territory (LAWNA) field of The Apostolic Church Nigeria.[1]

Life[edit]

Born into a royal family from Owu Kingdom in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, Adegboyega attended Methodist High School, Abeokuta where he completed his secondary education.[2] He got employed at the Nigerian Railway Corporation and rose through the ranks to become station master before becoming a full-time Christian minister at a Methodist church in 1916 until 1920. In that year, he joined The Precious Stone Church, which later affiliated itself with the Faith Tabernacle Congregation of Philadelphia.[2][self-published source]

During the revival that took place in 1930 at the Nigerian chapter of Faith Tabernacle Congregation, Adegboyega was adopted as a member of the Apostolic Church, a Christian group from the United Kingdom who were invited by Faith Tabernacle during the revival.[3] He later became one of the central figures who helped spread The Apostolic Church Nigeria throughout the country and beyond following a split by secessionists, who founded Christ Apostolic Church in 1941.

Death[edit]

Adegboyega died on 23 October 1979, aged 83, at the convention ground of The Apostolic Church Nigeria in Lagos State, Nigeria.[2]

Personal life[edit]

He was married to Felicia Olowe, with whom he had five children.[2]

Recognition[edit]

During the celebration of Nigeria's independence in 1960, he was conferred with the national honor of Member of the Niger (MON).[4] In 2011, Samuel Adegboyega University was founded by The Apostolic Church Nigeria in his memory.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Enogholase, Gabriel (26 August 2011). "Oshiomhole lauds Adegboyega varsity". Vanguard Newspaper. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Israel O. Olofinjana (4 February 2011). 20 Pentecostal Pioneers in Nigeria: Their Lives, Their Legacies. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-1-4568-6682-2.
  3. ^ Short History of the Apostolic Church (Lagos, Nigeria: The Apostolic Church Literature Committee, 1967)
  4. ^ "Samuel Gbadebo Adegboyega". Dictionary of African Biography. Retrieved 26 August 2016.