John Augustus Otunba Payne (1839 – 1906) was a Nigerian

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

, administrator and diarist who was a prominent personality in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

during the nineteenth century. He was a Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Lagos and he also served as a registrar in various colonial departments such as the Police Court, the Chief Magistrate's Court, the Court of Civil and Criminal Justice and the Petty Debt court. He produced an annual West African and Lagos Almanac which published some historical notes. He was also the convener of a forum called the Society for the Propagation of Religious Education.

Life

Payne was born in 1839; his father was from a royal house in

Ijebu Ode Ijebu-Ode is a town in Ogun State, South Western geopolitical zone in Nigeria, close to the A121 highway. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of Lagos; it is within of the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Ogun State and p ...

. He was one of the earliest products of

CMS Grammar School, Lagos The CMS Grammar School in Bariga, a suburb of Lagos in Lagos State, is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society. For decades it was the main source of African clergymen and administrators in ...

. He was a close friend of

James Johnson James Johnson may refer to: Artists, actors, authors, and musicians *James Austin Johnson (born 1989), American comedian & actor, ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member *James B. Johnson (born 1944), author of science nonfiction novels *James P. John ...

and was a layman and warden at Christ Church Cathedral, Lagos. He also counseled the Awujale of Ijebuland to allow Christian missionaries. Through his influence, a Christian preacher was allowed to preach in Ago Iwoye. Payne was also noted for his writings in his annual

almanac An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and other ...

. One of his entries includes that of the court appearance of ex- Oba Dosunmu, who had been subpoenaed. Payne was charged with administering the solemn oath through an interpreter.

Death

Payne was murdered in his residence in Lagos by an unknown assailant in 1906. His murder was never solved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, John Otunba Saro people 1839 births 1906 murders in Nigeria 1906 deaths 19th-century diarists 19th-century Nigerian lawyers 19th-century Nigerian writers Almanac compilers CMS Grammar School, Lagos alumni History of Lagos Lawyers from Lagos Nigerian Christians Nigerian diarists People murdered in Lagos People from colonial Nigeria Sheriffs Unsolved murders in Nigeria Yoruba lawyers Yoruba royalty

Life

Death

See also

References