Seth Irunsewe Kale , OON, CFR (June 6, 1904 – November 19, 1994) was a Nigerian Anglican bishop who served as Principal 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 ...

from 1944 to 1950 and as Bishop of Lagos from 1963 to 1974. He was consecrated a bishop on

St Andrew's Day Saint Andrew's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Andrew or Andermas, is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle. It is celebrated on 30 November (according to Gregorian calendar) and on 13 December (according to Julian calendar). Saint Andrew is ...

(30 November) 1963, by Cecil Patterson,

Archbishop of West Africa The Church of the Province of West Africa is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 17 dioceses in eight countries of West Africa, specifically in Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Ghana is the ...

. He holds the distinction of being the first African to preach in the famous

St Paul's Cathedral, London St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

Early life

Kale was born the eldest son of the family of seven on June 6, 1904, in Ipata, Mobalufon, in Odogbolu Local Government of

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 ...

. His parents Pa Jacob & Mama Victoria Kale were said to be the first Christian converts in the village. At birth he was given the

Yoruba name A Yorùbá name is a name that is part of a naming tradition that is primarily used by the Yoruba people and Yoruba language-speaking individuals in Benin, Togo, and Nigeria. Naming ceremonies Originally, male Yorùbá children were named on the ...

Irunsewe meaning “we” (this one) “se” (happen); “irun” (nothing at all). On June 25, 1904 he was baptized with the name Seth.

Education

He started his formal education at the Christ Church Primary School, Porogun, Ijebu-Ode in 1912 and later attended

Ijebu Ode Grammar School Ijebu Ode Grammar School (JOGS) is a boys-only secondary school located in Ijebu Ode local government area of Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria. Founded on 20 January 1913, the school is one of the oldest schools in Nigeria. Houses *Gansallo House ...

. In 1931 with assistance from the then principal of

, Rev. I.O Ransome-Kuti, Kale became the first recipient of the prestigious Mojola Agbebi scholarship and was admitted to

Fourah Bay College Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-le ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

where he earned a general degree of Bachelor of Arts. Thereafter, he went on to do one additional year leading to the Diploma in Theology in 1935. The following year he was employed as a teacher at

. In 1939 he earned a post-graduate diploma in Education from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

Career

Kale returned from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and was immediately appointed the acting principal of

, it took only three years before he became the first

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

to be appointed principal of the school in the twentieth century. In 1921, He was one of the founding members of the

National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...

, including Vice-Principal,

Jonathan Lucas Jonathan Lucas was a former United Nations civil servant. He was appointed Secretary of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) in 2010 in replacement of Koli Kouame. Career Lucas holds a doctoral degree in International Law/Economi ...

and Rev. I.O Ransome-Kuti. He was still a principal at

when he became a deacon at the

Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos The Cathedral Church of Christ Marina, Lagos is an Anglican cathedral on Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria. History The foundation stone for the first cathedral building was laid on 29 March 1867 and the cathedral was established in 1869. Construc ...

in 1942, he was ordained a priest on the anniversary of his diaconate in 1943. He became the first Nigerian principal of the long established St. Andrew’s Teachers’ Training College, Oyo, in 1951. He was credited for restoring law and order in the college after years of alleged prejudices, class distinctions, and social differences, which had plagued the college . In 1963, at the Assembly of Church Prelates in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Rev. Kale was elected the Bishop of Lagos and was consecrated on November 30, 1963.

Personal life

Kale was twenty-five years old when he married Juliana Oladunni Odukoya, the grand-daughter of Oluwa Idele of Ijebu-Ode. The couple were joined in holy matrimony on January 6, 1930 at St. Savior’s Church, Italupe, Ijebu-Ode

References

Bibliography

*T'Ibi T'Ire, Oxford University Press, 1947 * 1904 births 1994 deaths Anglican bishops of Lagos Fourah Bay College alumni Nigerian educational theorists People from Ogun State 20th-century Anglican bishops in Nigeria Ijebu Ode Grammar School alumni Yoruba Christian clergy Yoruba educators Heads of schools in Nigeria Educators from Lagos Yoruba writers Alumni of the University of London {{Nigeria-reli-bio-stub