John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan was born in Kabba, Nigeria, on 29 January 1944. After seminary at Bodija he studied theology in Rome at the Pontifical Urban College and was ordained on 3 August 1969 — his studies funded by a Muslim, Premier Ahmadu Bello. He took a licentiate in Scripture at the Biblicum (1973) and a doctorate in biblical theology at the Urbaniana (1976), on priesthood in ancient Israel and among the Yoruba.
John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Ilorin in 1982 (consecrated by the Pope on 6 January 1983), Bishop of Ilorin in 1984, and coadjutor of Abuja in 1990; he became Abuja's first archbishop when the see was elevated in 1994. He led Nigeria's bishops' conference (2000), the Christian Association of Nigeria and SECAM, and co-chairs the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council with the Sultan of Sokoto. Pax Christi International named him its 2012 Peace Laureate; he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Benedict XVI created him a cardinal on 24 November 2012, with the title of San Saturnino. He retired in 2019.
Major Works & Initiatives
First Archbishop of Abuja
Twenty-five years building the Church in Nigeria's capital.
Pax Christi Peace Laureate
Honoured for interreligious peacebuilding; Nobel nominee.
The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council
Co-chaired with the Sultan of Sokoto, the Christian-Muslim dialogue body.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.