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History

FROM EGBADO ARCHDEACONRY TO EGBADO DIOCESE, AND NOW YEWA


The 2nd of November, 1990 shall go down in the annals of the history of Yewa land as the glorious day that witnessed the convergence of the top echelon of the authority of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), top government functionaries, captains of Industry and Commerce, traditional rulers from across the then Egbado Archdeaconries of the Egba/Egbado Diocese, their friends and visitors thronged to Christ Church, Ilaro for the enthronement of their new Bishop, as he was formally welcomed into their midst.
The enthronement service was conducted by the late Primate and Metropolitan of All Nigeria, Most Rev’d Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye, assisted by other bishops of the communion. The new Diocesan, Rt. Revd. Timothy Ipadeola Bolaji was formally enthroned at his cathedral which automatically changed the old Christ Church, Ilaro to the Cathedral Church of Christ, Ilaro. .
Below is the deed of relinquishment granted the new Diocese as it was excused from the Egba/Egbado Diocese of the Anglican Communion.


THE CHURCH OF THE PROVINCE OF NIGERIA
THE DEED OF RELINQUISHMENT AND OR ACCEPTANCE
Between
THE DIOCESE OF EGBA-EGBADO
And
THE DIOCESE OF EGBADO


In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
The Deed of Relinquishment and of Acceptance made this 2nd day November, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine hundred and ninety between the Right Reverend Titus Ilori Akintayo by Divine permission bishop of the Diocese of Egba-Egbado of the Church of the Province of Nigeria of Bishop Court, Onikolobo in the city of Abeokuta, on the one part and the Right Reverend Timothy Ipadeola Olaniyi Bolaji, Bachelor of Arts, by Divine permission consecrated on All Saints Day 1st day of November, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine hundred and Ninety, the Bishop in the Church of the Province of Nigeria and elected Bishop of the proposed Egbado Diocese and of the Bishop O'Donnell Court, Oke-Ela, Ilaro, Egbado Division, Ogun State of Nigeria of the other part. Whereas on the 4th day of January in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight hundred and forty-Three the seed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ was sown in Abeokuta by a missionary named Henry Townsend by the kind permission of the great Chief of Egbaland, Sodeke.
And whereas on the 6th day of February, One Thousand Eight hundred and Forty-Eight in the town of Abeokuta, the first converts were admitted by baptism into the church of Christ. And whereas on the feast of Saint Peter, One Thousand Eight hundred and Sixty-Four, Samuel Ajayi Crowther a native of Osogun was consecrated a bishop of the Church of England by the Archbishop of Canterbury. And whereas on the feast of Saint Peter, One Thousand Eight hundred and Ninety-three the Reverend Joseph Sidney Hill was consecrated a Bishop in succession to the Right Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther with the title of Bishop of Western Equatorial Africa.
And whereas on the 4th day of March One Thousand Eight hundred and Ninety-Four, the Reverend Herbert Tugwell, was consecrated a Bishop of the Church of England in the countries of western Africa. And whereas in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Eight, the colonies of Lagos and old Gold Coast were included within the jurisdiction of the Bishop of western Equatorial Africa. And whereas on the feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, One Thousand Nine hundred and Nineteen, the Venerable Frank Melville Jones, Archdeacon of Yoruba Country was consecrated a Bishop of the Church of England for certain parts of West Africa and was assigned to the Western portion of Western Equatorial Africa. And whereas on the 25th March, One Thousand Nine hundred and Twenty, the warrant assigning respect. I've jurisdiction to the Right Reverend Herbert Tug well, and the Right Reverend Frank Melville Jones as Bishop of the Western Equatorial Africa was revoked, and the Yoruba area and the northern part of Nigeria were thereafter constituted the Diocese of Lagos under the jurisdiction of the Right Reverend Frank Melville Jones. And whereas on the retirement of the Right Reverend Frank Melville Jones in 1940, the Right Reverend Leslie Gordon Vining succeeded him as Bishop of the Lagos Diocese.
And whereas on the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul, the 25th day of January, One Thousand Nine hundred and Fifty-two, His Grace the Most Reverend Leslie Gordon Vining, the first Archbishop of West Africa created the Diocese of Ibadan out of the Diocese of Lagos and on the feast of Saint Matthias, the 25th day of February, of the same year, the Archbishop created the Diocese of Ondo-Benin out of the remaining portion of the Diocese of Lagos. And whereas the remaining portion of the Diocese of Lagos was divided into three into three archdeaconries, namely, Lagos, Egba-Egbado and Ijebu Archdeaconries, and the Egba-Egbado Diocese duly inaugurated on the 3rd day of August in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine hundred and Seventy-Six now comprises of Abeokuta West Archdeaconry and Ifo Archdeaconry, Abeokuta North Archdeanconry, Abeokuta East Archdeaconries, Egbado Archdeaconry and Ifo Archdeaconry; and the Cathedral Church.
And whereas the Egbado Archdeaconry which formerly comprises the Egbado District Church Council inaugurated on the 30th December, 1994 and Egbado North District Church Council inaugurated 1944 now comprises Egbado Central District Church Council inaugurated at Ilaro on 18th September, 1983. Egbado North District Church inaugurated at Oke-Odan on the 19th September, 1983 and Egbado North West District Church Council inaugurated at Aiyetoro on the 16th April, 1988.
And whereas Christianity was introduced into Egbado from two ends namely Badagry and Abeokuta in 1842 when in the 1850 late Daddy Andrew Saanu of Oke-Odan was admitted into baptism at St. John's Church Igbein, Abeokuta who through the influence of the Church Missionaries built a small Church at Oke-Odan.
And whereas the work of God flourished so well in the said Egbado Archdeaconry that the Synod of the Diocese of Egba-Egbado meeting at Saint Paul's Church, Ignore, Abeokuta at the third session of the fourth Synod from Sunday 24th to Wednesday 27th April, in the year One Thousand Nine Hundred and Eighty Eight passed a motion requesting the general synod of the Church of the Province of Nigeria(Anglican Communion) to constitute the said Archdeaconry into a Diocese of the Church of the Province of Nigeria under the name and title of the Diocese of Egbado. And whereas the general synod having received the request directed its standing committee to take all necessary measures for the formation of a new Diocese.
And whereas the Standing Committee of the General Synod acting in accordance with the direction of the said Synod have considered the request and recommended that it be granted. And whereas the Standing Committee of the General Synod at its meeting held at All Saints Church, Yaba in the Diocese of Lagos on the fifth day of February, 1989 acting under Article II of Chapter XII of the constitution of the Church of the Province of Nigeria gave consent and approval of the General Synod to the creation of the proposed Diocese of Egbado subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions. And whereas the synod at its meeting held at the All Saints Church, Yaba in the city of Lagos on the 7th day of February, 1989, action under Article I of Chapter XIII of the Constitution of the Church of the Province of Nigeria gave the final consent and approval for the creation of the proposed Diocese of Egbado. And whereas in pursuance of the aforesaid consent and approval the Rt. Revd. Timothy Ipadeola Olaniyi Bolaji was elected the Bishop of the said Egbado Diocese.
Now this deed witnessed that in consideration of the fulfilment of all the conditions the aforesaid. The Rt. Revd. Titus Ilori Akintayo of the one part, on behalf of Himself and his successors in office, and the Diocese of Egba-Egbado, the General Synod of the Church of the Province of Nigeria, to relinquish their jurisdictions over the Egbado Archdeaconry and the Rt. Revd. Timothy Ipadeola Olaniyi Bolajiof the other part as the duly elected Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Egbado on behalf of himself and his successors in office has agreed and hereby signifies his intention to accept and assume jurisdiction over the said area hither to known as Egbado Archdeaconry.
The Parties hereby declare that the Authority, Episcopal and Ordinary, hitherto exercised by the aforesaid Rt. Revd. Titus Ilori Akintayo over the Egbado Archdeaconry be and is hereby transferred and become vested in the Rt. Revd. Timothy Ipadeola Olaniyi Bolaji and his successors in the said office of Bishop of Egbado Diocese.
In witness whereof the said parties to here in the presence and with the Authority of His Grace the Most Revd. Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye, Archbishop of the Church of the Province of Nigeria and Metropolitan have unto here set t by their respective hands and seals the date and year first above written.


YEWA ANGLICAN DIOCESE

Diocesan Officials at Inception of the Diocese
Diocesan Bishop The Rt. Revd. T.I.O Bolaji
Chancellor Hon. Justice O.A. Ajibola
Registrar Chief E. O. Madandola
Clerical Synod Secretary Ven. J. O. Adeoye
Lay Synod Secretary Chief (Dr.) HezyIdowu
Diocesan Treasurer Chief I.A. Babarinde
Medical Adviser Dr. S.A.J. Ibikunle
Medical Adviser Dr. O.O. Feyisitan
Diocesan Education Adviser Professor BiyiAfonja
Diocesan Architect Chief D.O. Kehinde
Diocesan Auditor Mr. M.O. Kehinde

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