Sope Johnson
Samuel Hugh Stowell Akinsope "Sope" Johnson[1] (March 1930- July 2022) was Provost of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos[2] from 1970 until 1995.[3]
Johnson was educated at King's College, London[4] and Lichfield Theological College.[5] From 1955 to 1962 he gained experience in London as a curate (including two years at St. Martin-in-the Fields) before returning to Nigeria to become the head of religious broadcasting at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.[6]
Early life and family
Johnson was the first Old Igbobian clergyman, having attended Igbobi College, where he was a school prefect and played on the school's 1st XI football team.[7] He was a descendant of Henry Johnson Sr. and Sarah Johnson, liberated slaves from Hastings, Sierra Leone, who joined the Yoruba mission in Ibadan in 1857; the historian Samuel Johnson, author of The History of the Yorubas, was a great-uncle in the same family line.[8]
Death
Johnson died on 20 July 2022 at the age of 92.[9] His son, Akinpelu Johnson, succeeded him as Provost of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos, and was later elected Bishop of the Lagos Mainland Diocese in 2016.[8]
References
- ↑ Church Times Nigeria
- ↑ The Nation online
- ↑ News Diary online Archived 2013-03-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Virtue On-line
- ↑ Crockford's Clerical Directory 1980-1982, London, Church House, 1983, ISBN 0192000101
- ↑ Osun Defender Archived 2015-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Cathedral Church of Christ's ex-provost dies at 92". Punch Newspapers. 21 July 2022.
- 1 2 "Johnson, Anglican Bishop Lagos Mainland Diocese @ 55: Sustaining the family legacy". Church Times Nigeria. 16 May 2020.
- ↑ "Family announces burial plan for the Late Very Revd Sope Johnson of the Anglican Communion". Church Times Nigeria. 3 August 2022.