Fadeji, Samuel Olaniran

Samuel Olaniran Fadeji was the fourth indigenous head of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. After serving the Baptist Convention in various capacities, he was appointed general secretary of the Convention in 1991 and he held this office until 2001. He died six years after he left the office, on August 14, 2007.

Fadeji was born on November 11, 1941, at Fiditi in the former Oyo District Council Area of the old western region, now the Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. His parents were Pastor Emmanuel Akinpelu Fadeji Ajayi and Mrs. Rebecca Wuraola Olatoun Ajayi, both of Fiditi. The marriage of his parents is of special interest, as the story was told that the very day Mama Wuraola was born, the representatives of Baba Emmanuel started requesting the new baby in future marriage. As the days passed, the family continued to exhibit increasing interest in the marriage throughout the stages of betrothal, engagement, and marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Fadeji Ajayi, with their two children, Tinuola and Samuel, were a happy family. The two children were very close and loving, and it was the desire of the family to have more than two children, but as God would have it, they could not. After the birth of Samuel, over thirteen pregnancies were lost prematurely by his mother, and it was after the thirteenth that Samuel himself called the parents and advised them to stop making any more attempts at having children.

According to Fadeji, the name Samuel, which he adopted at baptism, aptly described the circumstances surrounding his birth. First, he was the second of the two children of the family. The first was a female and the age gap between Samuel and his elder sister Tinuola was almost seven years. This is an indication of the fact that he was a child “sought from the Lord.” Also, he claimed that he had a distinct call to the ministry when the pastor who baptized him told him that he wanted him to spend his life “serving the Lord.” In this regard, Samuel Fadeji had this to say:

In those days, it was customary for a newly baptized disciple to take on a biblical name that often displaced his or her given name as the first name. I loved and adopted the name “Samuel.” I saw myself in the biblical Samuel, as my mother had spent over six years asking the Lord for another child when I finally came. I also heard a distinct call to the ministry after the pastor who baptized me told me he wanted me to spend my life “serving the Lord.” We were on our way to the river to be baptized when in response to the pastor’s question I explained that I would like to study medicine. The pastor’s answer made me shed tears and in retrospect, I saw this as my first sense of a call to the gospel ministry. [1]

His father, Pa. Emmanuel Fadeji Ajayi, descended from a family devoted to the worship of Ifa, the Yoruba divinity of divination. In fact, he was named “Fadeji” which in full is “Ifadimeji,” meaning “there are now two Ifa priests.” This was because his grandfather was also an Ifa priest. His father was at various times an Ifa priest, a trained sanitary inspector, and a carpenter, but surrendered to full-time gospel ministry shortly after Samuel was born. He was an active member of First Baptist Church, Fiditi. While he was a layman, he served the church as B.Y.P.U. director, Sunday school superintendent, and choirmaster. Madam Wuraola, Samuel’s mother, did some commercial trading, and was reported to be faithful in tithing.

Fadeji received a godly heritage from his parents. He always credited his mother, who was a trader, for being the best example with her tithing, and he remembered his father mostly for his faithful service and dedication to God and man. He asserted that while his father was impeccably faithful in paying the tithe from his meager salary and farm, it was his mother’s tithing that made a deep impression on him and on his elder sister. He concluded that the instruction which he received from his parents and their practical and exemplary Christian living helped prepare him for his Christian walk and ministry.

As a pastor’s son, he was involved in church life right from childhood. His first introduction to church life was helping the janitor to ring the bell at Iware Baptist Church, where his father was the pastor. During this time, at the age of nine, he began to teach a Sunday school class because of a shortage of personnel. When he was eleven, he came to know the Lord Jesus in a personal and experiential manner. His conversion experience was both gradual and dramatic. It was gradual because he first fell in love with the Church, having been exposed to the things of God, to love of prayer and Bible study. The dramatic aspect of his conversion was experienced when his father and pastor witnessed to him on a one-to-one basis and he accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior. It was reported that he preached his first sermon at the age of thirteen. On that memorable day, his father, who was the pastor of the church, was away at the yearly convention session and the guest preacher who was scheduled to serve in his place and to preach the sermon that Sunday, suddenly fell ill. At the insistence of the guest preacher, Samuel Fadeji was persuaded to stand in and preach the sermon that Sunday. He reluctantly accepted, and the message was responded to with ecstasy, joy, and excitement.

Fadeji started his primary education at the Methodist Primary School, Iware, in 1950, but in January of the following year, he was transferred to the First Baptist Day School, Fiditi, where he completed his primary education in 1955. He gained admission to the Fiditi Grammar School in 1956, but he spent only one year there due to the family’s financial circumstances. He later attended the Local Authority Secondary Modern School, Fiditi, from 1957 to 1958. After completing his studies at the Modern School, he was deployed to serve as a probationary village teacher in 1959, under the former Oyo Divisional Council, and transferred to Iganna, near Okeho. In his final year in the Modern School, he attempted the General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.) qualifying test, and he passed all the subjects he was tested on. This enabled him to apply to the Oyo Divisional Teacher Training College, Iseyin, and he spent two years there, from 1960 to 1961, to qualify as a Grade Three teacher. After his training, he taught for some three years and three months before gaining admission to the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary (NBTS) in Ogbomoso, in 1964. During his days at the seminary, he was president of the student council from 1967 to 1968.

He completed his studies at the seminary in 1968, having earned the Bachelor of Theology degree, and was immediately appointed to pastor the First Baptist Church, Igede Ekiti in the present Ekiti State. In August of 1969, after having pastored the church for one year, he was recalled to the seminary to join its teaching staff. He worked there for four years before proceeding to America for further studies, in 1973. In America, he attended Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in History in January of 1975. He then proceeded to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky and was there from February to December in 1975, and from August 1976 to August of 1980. In December of 1975, he received the M.Div. degree, followed by a Ph.D. in August 1980, specializing in Old Testament studies and Church History.

Samuel Fadeji was an outstanding theological educator. His career in this field started with his appointment as a lecturer at the NBTS, Ogbomoso in 1969. He served the seminary in various capacities before proceeding to America for further studies in 1973. Along with his lecturing assignment, he was also the director of student affairs from 1969 to1973. While in America, he lectured at the Howard College Extension Division, Ensley, Alabama, from October 1973 to December 1974. He served as a Garret fellow at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A., first in the department of Evangelism, from 1976 to 1977, and then in the department of Old Testament, from 1977 to 1980. He was also the executive director of the Center for Lay Ministries, Jeffersonville, Indiana, from 1977 to 1978, and lecturer in Greek and Hebrew at the Simmons Bible College, Louisville, Kentucky 1978 to 1979. Simultaneously, he worked as a substitute teacher in the high schools of Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky, from 1977 to 1980.

On his return to Nigeria in 1980, Fadeji resumed teaching at the NBTS, Ogbomoso, as a senior lecturer, after which he was promoted to the position of associate professor in March of 1988. He also held the following positions: registrar, 1980-1983; director of student affairs, 1980-1987; director of public relations, 1988-1991; chairman, department of theology, 1988-1991. At the same time, he served as visiting lecturer in Hebrew at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, from 1981 to 1982, and was a guest professor in missions at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Forth Worth, Texas, from July to December of 1987, and guest lecturer in Old Testament, department of religious studies, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, from August to December of 1996. He also lectured at ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja, and at the West African Theological Seminary (WATS), Lagos.

He was also an accomplished pastor. While a student at the eminary, he served as astor of Olorunda-Olosan Baptist Church, Ogbomoso, from August 1964 to July of 1965, after which he was called to pastor Alaafia Oluwa Baptist Church, Tewure, Ogbomoso, from August 1965 to May of 1968. He played a prominent role in the organization of this church, assisted in writing its history, made a significant contribution to the production and approval of its constitution and bylaws, and to the construction of a new auditorium for the church. After graduating from the seminary in 1968, he pastored the First Baptist Church, Igede-Ekiti, from May of 1968 to July of 1969, and then returned to the NBTS as a lecturer. He was ordained into full time gospel ministry on October 25, 1970, at Ayegun Baptist Church, Ogbomoso. While lecturing at the seminary, he was interim pastor of Oja-Oba Baptist Church, Ogbomoso, from September of 1971 to July of 1973, after which he proceeded to America for further studies. On his return from America, he resumed his lecturing assignment at the seminary, and also became the interim pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Ogbomoso. However, due to his tight schedule and the regulations at the seminary, he left Antioch Baptist Chirch after serving from September of 1980 to August of 1982, a period of almost two years. Thereafter, during his sabbatical vacation, he served as pastor of Zion Baptist Church, Ilorin, for the two months of May and June, 1987, and later pastored the First Baptist Church, Ilorin, from May 1 to December 31, 1988.

An author par excellence, Samuel Fadeji authored the following articles and publications: History of Tewure Baptist Church, (1968); “The Ordination of Men and Women,” Baptist Magazine, 1974; Habakkuk: the Discovery of an Unshakable Faith through Dialogue with God, Publication Department of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (1982); “Principles of Bible Interpretation” Nigerian Pulpit 1, pp. 6-10 (1985); “Is Jesus God?” Women Missionary Union Magazine of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, (1988); “The Context in which We Train Ministers”, The Nigerian Christian, April 1988; “Biblical and African Names of God: A Comparison,” Ogbomoso Journal of Theology (1988); Missions and Evangelism in the Old Testament, Publications Department, NBC, (1999); The Word of God, Baptist Press (Nigeria) Ltd., Ibadan, (2008).

He conducted many revival services across denominations, proclaimed the gospel message around the world, and won many souls to Christ. His sermons and theological messages include: “What Baptists Believe About the Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” New Estate Baptist Church, Lagos, November 25, 1965; “The Remarriage of Widows,” Ogbomoso Baptist Association, April 1966; “The Development of Associations and the Convention and their Contribution to Indigenous Churches in West Africa,” National Churches and Missions in Partnership conference, Harare, Zimbabwe, November 1986; “The Context in which We Train Ministers,” Joint Faculty Fellowship of Immanuel College of Theology, Ibadan, and the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, held in Ibadan on February 20, 1988.

On December 18, 1969, Fadeji married Miss Elizabeth Omoladun Oguntokun at the NBTS Chapel, Ogbomoso. The late Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Ajayi Dahunsi preached the wedding sermon, while the late Rev. Dr. J. C. Pool did the joining and blessing. The marriage was blessed with five children, three female and two male: Oluwafumilola Omorinoye, Olusola Olarinre, Aarinola Olanike, Oluwatayo Olagoke, and Oluwadare Oluwalowu.

Fadeji was a member of the following professional associations: Phi Alpha Theta, an international society of history majors; the Society for Biblical Literature of the United States of America; the American Academy of Religion; the American School of Oriental Research; the National Association for the Study of Religions (Nigeria); the Nigerian Association for Biblical Studies (two years as treasurer; two years as public relations officer and three years as president); member, registrar and examiner for the West African Association of Theological Institutions (WAATI). He was also president of the International Club of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1976-1978, and chairman, Peace Committee of Fiditi community, 1983-1984.

He made an immeasurable contribution to the progress of the Baptist movement in general and to the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) in particular. He was the first president of the Baptist People’s Fellowship of the NBC, for three years. Also, in 1980, he began to serve as an adviser and consultant for Baptist associations in the Ogbomoso and Fiditi areas, including: J. C. Pool 1980-1991; Bowen 1980-1991; Ijesa 1983-1987; Adediran 1983-1991; Oore Ofe 1983-1991, and Ajogun Kristi, 1990-1991.

Samuel Fadeji was by a divine hand elected as the general secretary of the Nigerian Baptist Convention at the peak of a turbulent convention session in April of 1991. He was not only elected “in absentia,” but also without his seeking the post. When Dr. S. T. Ola Akande left his position as general secretary of the NBC in 1990, Rev. Dr. D. O. Olaniyi was asked to act in that capacity while a substantive general secretary was being sought. It is interesting to note that the general secretary’s search committee – the ad hoc committee empowered to search, shortlist, interview, and recommend a suitable candidate for the position – did not initially list Samuel Fadeji as a prospective candidate. Although some people recommended him, he was disqualified on account of his age, being nearly fifty years old at the time. Some argued that in his case, the age disparity did not make much difference since he would be fifty in November of the same year; however, the executive committee decided that the constitutional provision of an age of fifty years, minimum, must be strictly adhered to, hence his disqualification.

In the process, the search committee presented two nominees who were subsequently disqualified, the first on account of age and qualifications, and the other for unspecified reasons. Consequently, the names of three other nominees were presented to be voted on during the convention. These included Rev. Dr. J. O. Olaniyan, Rev. P. E. Ofuoku and Samuel Fadeji. Ironically, Fadeji was absent from the session because of his assignment with the ACTEA accreditation committee at the ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja, Kwara State, so he was not available to lobby anyone or any group into voting in his favor, even if that was permitted. The convention adopted “option A4,” the voting method in vogue at the time to elect someone from the three nominees. “Option A4” simply meant forming a queue behind the candidate of one’s choice. This was done and surprisingly, Fadeji emerged the winner, and became the fourth indigenous general secretary of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. One could say that there was a divine dimension to his appointment.

As the general secretary of the NBC from 1991 to 2001, a period of ten years, he made tremendous contributions to the progress of the convention in many ways. These achievements could be summarized as follows:

i) He improved the spiritual ambiance of the convention sessions by introducing Bible study and prayer sessions between the regular convention programs. These have become a great blessing to the convention family. He also had trained female pastors lead in these convention programs, and this crystallized into female ordination, which started under his leadership in 1997.

ii) The convention literature and publication sector received a boost under his administration. Annual, periodical, and other literature of the convention come out earlier and more punctually than before.

iii) There was great improvement in the activities of commercial outfits owned by the convention. Under Fadeji’s leadership, both the NBC and the Baptist Mission of Nigeria pooled resources to buy new machines for the Baptist Press Nigeria Limited. This brought about an improvement in the services of the press, both to the convention and the outside world. At one point, his administration sensed the impending collapse of the Baptist bookstores, and felt the need to re-strategize its operations. The bookstores were mandated to take a new approach to marketing and the agency system was adopted to replace that of the branches, which was the practice at the time. This method yielded tremendous dividends and led to effective management within the outfit.

iv) He expanded the youth and student’s ministries and initiated the social concerns ministries, which has grown into two divisions - the medical and social ministry, and the family life and children ministry.

v) Staff welfare was also accorded great priority. For instance, the self-administered pension scheme initiated by his predecessor in office, Rev. Dr. S. T. Ola Akande, grew tremendously during his time. That investment has remained the most viable of all the convention’s investments. Salaries and emoluments were paid promptly and there was usually an annual review, either in the basic salaries of staff, or in their fringe benefits.

vi) He initiated investment in the Baptist shopping complex along Old Ife Road in Ibadan, which has forty-five shops. Other projects embarked upon were the building of staff quarters at Molete, Ibadan, and completion of a security wall round the property. A similar security wall was also erected around the Old Ife Road staff quarters, also at Ibadan, in order to forestall the menace of armed robbers. He also embarked on the project for the extension of the Baptist building at Oke-Bola, Ibadan.

vii) The NBC experienced phenomenal growth in the area of church planting through Operation Reach All (ORA). When he came into office in 1991, the convention had a total of 4,680 churches, and by 2001, when he left, the number had risen to about 8,000. In the same vein, there was an increase in the number of the convention’s mission fields, both at home and abroad. The foreign mission fields increased from one to three, while on the home front, fields such as Akwa-Ibom, Etche, and Kamuku were opened. For more efficiency and improvement, the Foreign Mission Board was replaced with the Global Missions Department. As a church planter, in addition to leading the convention to plant churches, he also planted some on his own. One of them is the Baptist chapel which was renamed after him at his demise, now the Samuel Fadeji Memorial Baptist Church, Aromolaran, Ibadan.

viii) He organized the associational advisers meeting and the church treasurers/secretaries/pastors forum. The former was a forum established in 1992 to maximize the use of convention advisers. The Fadeji administration observed that the advisers were being under utilized, and ever since, the advisers have been a good voice at conventions in their respective associations, and have also developed cordial working relationships with their moderators. The latter is a forum where all segments of the convention family were given insight into the convention cooperative program and the need to exercise faithfulness in remission of funds.

ix) During the period of his leadership, the relationship of the NBC with other sister denominations grew tremendously. The convention played its role in para-church organizations and interdenominational forums, both locally and internationally. The impact of the NBC was felt in the Bible Society of Nigeria, Christian Council of Nigeria, and the Christian Association of Nigeria.

x) His influence was also felt within the nation’s polity, as he made immense contributions to national issues. Press statements in this regard were issued promptly by his administration.

xi) The Men and Women Missionary Union of the NBC also received attention under Fadeji’s administration. The work of the Women Missionary Union increased and the body became prominent within the Baptist World Alliance as the director, Mrs. Aduke Akinola, was appointed executive secretary/treasurer of the women’s department of the alliance. Also during this time, the Women Missionary Union built an ultra-modern and befitting office complex and established a daycare/nursery school, which has been a pride of the convention.

xii) Under Fadeji’s leadership, great advancement in theological education was made in the NBC. The NBTS added new programs to the already existing ones, including the M.Div. in theology, the M.Div. in religious education, the M.Th. in religious education, the M.A.T.S. (M.A. in theological studies), and the Ph.D. program. A full-fledged department of music was also added to the seminary, offering diplomas and degree courses in church music. Some of the colleges of theology received upgrades to their status and new ones were also established. The program in Oyo was upgraded to offer diploma programs and those of Obinze and Eku were upgraded to degree-granting institutions, offering the B.A. in theology degree. The Kaduna Seminary was also upgraded, and some colleges were added, including: the Baptist colleges of theology in Lagos, Benin City and Igede-Ekiti; the Baptist Pastors’ School, Gombe, and the Theological Education by Extension (TEE).

xiii) Fadeji was also instrumental in the expansion of the general secretary’s office and the offices of the two assistant general secretaries.

xiv) The Convention’s hospitals and healing ministry also made tremendous progress. The Baptist medical centers at Ogbomoso, Eku, and Shaki improved greatly in the area of facilities, modern equipment, competent personnel, and in services to the people. Some of the Medical centers have started schools of midwifery, while all of them have established annexes in surrounding towns and villages. The Nigerian Baptist Convention’s medical institutions still remain “centers of excellence” in health care delivery across the nation. Also, free medical and counseling services are given during convention sessions, for the benefit of the convention delegates.

xv) Fadeji also organized the first governing council of Bowen University in Iwo, the first Baptist university in Nigeria.

Upon completion of his tenure as the general secretary of the NBC in 2001, Samuel Fadeji returned to his teaching assignment at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, and served the seminary from then on as a lecturer, serving also as head of the Department of Biblical Studies from 2002 until his death on August 14, 2007.

Samuel Fadeji was different thing to different people, as the tributes of friends, colleagues and family members attest. He was a born teacher, a pastor at heart, a compassionate counselor, a true father, an ideal husband, an evangelist, preacher and missionary, an exemplary Christian leader, a strict disciplinarian, an excellent historian, and a humble Christian.

Rev. Professor J. A. Ilori, a colleague and life-long friend said of him:

He had a life that was well lived by exercising faith in Jesus Christ, by demonstrating love to all mankind, and by rendering service to God and humanity. He ran a good race by giving his best to God, by avoiding hindrances to his faith and ministry, and by pressing towards the mark for the prize of high calling. He had a faith that was well proven through humility in life and in accomplishments, through going the second mile with ease, and through demonstrating consistency in faith and in practice. His consuming passion throughout his life was to know Christ more. His ardent desire was for a higher level of knowledge and a higher degree of revelation. His overriding concern was to be all that Christ wanted him to be. Samuel Fadeji has fought a good fight; he has finished the race and has kept the faith. [2]

Ilori concluded this statement with advice for all, saying: “This is the way to live: live so that after you are gone, people will wish that you were still around to give them comfort and counsel, love and care, understanding and concern.” [3]

His wife, Mrs. Omoladun Faleji, had this to say:

Rev. Dr. Samuel Olaniran Akanni Fadeji, my friend, companion, pastor, counselor, confidant, husband, and father for almost four decades, was loving, caring, humble, and gentle. He was wise and highly knowledgeable. He was a man of the people. He was a lover of God’s word. He studied and meditated on the Word of God religiously. He lived his entire life in the presence of God and was always ready to speak to God and lift his heart in prayer to God. As a matter of fact, to him, the Word of God (the Bible) is so sacred that nobody should place anything on his Bible. I mean nothing. … Like the apostle Paul, he served his Lord faithfully and we can attest to the fact that he fought a good fight, finished his race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). He lived a fruitful, fulfilled, meaningful, purposeful, and exemplary life. [4]

One of his daughters, Rev. Dr. (Mrs.) O. O. Ayo-Obiremi, said this:

Daddy was a pastor who loved all. He was also a teacher, preacher, scholar, a father of fathers, and a teacher of teachers. He produced many students who became his colleagues and his working relationship with them was wonderful. He was a father who had enough room in his heart, for not just his five biological children, but for anyone and everyone who wanted part of his love. He loved people irrespective of who they were, where they came from, or how they behaved toward him. He loved them unconditionally. He is my most practical example of how Jesus loves us and how He expects us to love other people. … We will remember Daddy as one who lived every day as if it were his last. [5]

Another daughter added:

Daddy was a seasoned traveler and enjoyed traveling; he was a good conversationalist, well versed in Yoruba and English, and accomplished Hebrew scholar. He coined many words in English; he enjoyed reading and learning; he read a lot and learned every day. He was a committed husband and father, and an excellent counselor on marriage and other areas of life. [6]

Michael Leke Ogunewu

Notes:

1. Funmilola OlaOlorun, Pastor Dad: Celebrating the Life of Samuel Olaniran Fadeji (Ibadan: Baptist Press (Nig.) Limited, 2008), p. 9.

2. J. A. Ilori, “The Ground of Our Hope,” address delivered at the commendation service in memory of Rev. Dr. Samuel Olaniran Fadeji, at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary Chapel, Ogbomoso, on September 19, 2007, pp. 5-6.

3. Ibid, p.6

4. Mrs. Omoladun Fadeji (wife), “Family Reflections,” funeral brochure of the late Rev. Dr. Samuel Fadeji, p. 15.

5. Funmilola Ola-Olorun (daughter), ibid, p. 15.

6. Rev. Dr. (Mrs.) O. O. Ayo-Obiremi, (daughter), contibutions, November 23 to 27, 2009.

Sources:

Adeleke, Goke and Atoyeje, S. O. Samuel Ola Fadeji: A Living Legend. Ibadan: Charisma Publications, 2001.

Anie, G. O., “Rev. Dr. S. Ola. Fadeji as General Secretary of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (1991-2001),” paper delivered at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, during the commendation service in his honor on September 19, 2007.

Fadeji, Omoladun (Mrs.) (wife) “Family Reflections,” comments in the funeral brochure of the late Rev. Dr. Samuel Fadeji., 2007.

Fadeji, Samuel. The Word of God. Ibadan: Baptist Press (Nig.) Ltd., 2008.

Ilori, J. A., “The Ground of Our Hope,” address delivered at the commendation service in memory of Rev. Dr. Samuel Olaniran Fadeji, at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary Chapel, Ogbomoso, on September 19, 2007, pp. 5-6.

Ola-Olorun Funmilola, (Mrs., daughter), “Family Reflections,” comments in the funeral brochure of the late Rev. Dr. Samuel Fadeji, 2007.

OlaOlorun, Funmilola (Mrs.) Pastor Dad: Celebrating the Life of Samuel Olaniran Fadeji. Ibadan: Baptist Press (Nig.) Limited, 2008.

Olapade, S. O., “The Biography Study of Rev. Dr. S. Ola. Fadeji, an Associate Professor and the Director of Public Relations and Development at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso.” unpublished paper, submitted to Dr. D. A. Copeland, for Baptist History RCT 333, Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, 1989, NBTS VF 1690 E.

“The Biography of Rev. Dr. Samuel Olaniran Fadeji” funeral brochure, 2007.

Rev. Dr. (Mrs.) O. O. Ayo-Obiremi, (daughter), contributions, November 23 to 27, 2009.

This article, received in 2010, was researched and written by Dr. Michael Leke Ogunewu under the supervision of Rev. Dr. Deji Ayegboyin, DACB liaison coordinator.