Samuel Gbadebo Adegboyega,

MON Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * An ...

(1 April 1896 – 23 October 1979) was a Nigerian

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. He is the first territorial chairman of the Lagos and Western/Northern Areas Territory (LAWNA) field of

The Apostolic Church Nigeria The Apostolic Church Nigeria is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in Nigeria with its national headquarters at Olorunda Ketu, Lagos and international headquarters in Penygroes, UK. History The church has its origins in the founding of a prayer ...

Life

Born into a royal family from Owu Kingdom in

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

, Nigeria, Adegboyega attended Methodist High School, Abeokuta where he completed his secondary education. He got employed at the

Nigerian Railway Corporation Nigerian Railway Corporation (commonly abbreviated as NRC) is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria. History and legislative background The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year ...

and rose through the ranks to become station master before becoming a full-time

Christian minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...

at a

Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

in 1916 until 1920. In that year, he joined The Precious Stone Church, which later affiliated itself with the Faith Tabernacle Congregation of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. 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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

who were invited by Faith Tabernacle during the revival. He later became one of the central figures who helped spread

throughout the country and beyond following a split by secessionists, who founded

Christ Apostolic Church Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) is the first Aladura Pentecostal church present in Nigeria and other countries. It arose in the first half of the 20th century, in the then-British empire. It was formally established in 1941 after a split from the Ap ...

in 1941.

Death

He died on October 23, 1979, at the convention ground of The Apostolic Church Nigeria in

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

, Nigeria.

Personal life

He was married to Felicia Adegboyega née Olowe, with whom he had five children.

Recognition

During the celebration of Nigeria's independence in 1960, he was conferred with the national honor of Member of the Niger (MON). In 2011,

Samuel Adegboyega University Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU) is located in Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria, West Africa. It was founded by The Apostolic Church Nigeria, LAWNA (Lagos, Western and Northern Areas) Territory, which has her headquarters at Olorunda-Ketu, Lagos. The ...

was founded by The Apostolic Church Nigeria in his memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adegboyega, Samuel 1896 births 1979 deaths Nigerian Christian clergy Yoruba royalty People from Abeokuta Nigerian Pentecostal pastors