J. Abiodun Adetiloye

Who was J. Abiodun Adetiloye?

Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye was the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria. He was married briefly for 11 months, until his wife's death in 1968; they had a son.

He lost his father, who was a devout Christian, aged 3 years old, and he and his siblings were raised by his mother. He entered school in 1937 and it was reported that "he was always neat in school each day despite the fact that he had only one uniform". He decided to become an Anglican priest at a very young age.

He passed with distinction is first school leaving examination in 1944 and was a teacher for 6 years. He was the acting church agent at St. Paul's Church in Ara-Yero, now called Araromi at his 6th year.

He decided to attend Melville Hall, in Kudeti, Ibadan, in 1949, to become a priest. He was further educated in England at King's College London, and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was ordained a deacon at the end of 1953 at the Cathedral Church of Lagos, by the first Archbishop of West Africa, Leslie Vining. He was a curate at St. Peter's Church, in Ake, Abeokuta, since 1954, latter was a chaplain to Archbishop Vining and afterwards to Archbishop Howells. This enabled him to move to Wycliffe Hall, to continue his studies. He was involved in some parish ministries at St. George in Leeds and was a curate at St. Mary's Church in Plaistow. Returning to Nigeria, the Rev. Adetiloye was a teacher at the Immanuel College of Theology in Ibadan, for four years and three months. On 10 August 1966, he became vicar and provost at the Cathedral Church of St. James, in Ibadan. On August 1970, he was elected and nominated bishop of the Diocese of Ekiti, latter being transferred to the Diocese of Lagos, of which he was bishop from 1985 to 1999.