1. John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan was born on 29 January 1944 and is a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church.
18 Facts About John Onaiyekan
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John Onaiyekan was archbishop of the Latin Church archdiocese of Abuja from 1994 to 2019 and was made a cardinal in 2012.
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John Onaiyekan has served as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria and bishop of Ilorin.
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John Onaiyekan attended St Mary's Catholic School in Kabba from 1949 until 1956, Mount St Michael's Secondary School in Aliade, Benue State, from 1957 until 1962, and Ss.
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John Onaiyekan completed his religious studies in Rome in 1969 and was ordained as a priest on 3 August of that year by Bishop Auguste Delisle of Lokoja Diocese.
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John Onaiyekan became rector of St Clement Junior Seminary in Lokoja in 1971.
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John Onaiyekan completed his Licentiate of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 1973 and earned his doctorate in 1976.
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John Onaiyekan was appointed auxiliary bishop of Ilorin in Kwara State, and titular bishop of Thunusuda on 10 September 1982.
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John Onaiyekan received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1983 by Pope John Paul II.
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John Onaiyekan was named Bishop of Ilorin on 20 October 1984.
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When that diocese became an Archdiocese on 26 March 1994, John Onaiyekan became its first archbishop.
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John Onaiyekan was elected vice-president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria in 1994 and president of that body in 2000.
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John Onaiyekan's stance was credited with saving Nigeria from the imposition of a dictatorship.
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John Onaiyekan was named Pax Christi International's 2012 Peace Laureate.
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John Onaiyekan was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in a consistory on 24 November 2012.
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John Onaiyekan can hold these positions until his 80th birthday.
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John Onaiyekan was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.
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John Onaiyekan won the election for the position of Christian Association of Nigeria President on 19 June 2007 with 72 votes over Anglican Primate Peter Akinola who had 33 votes.