The Most Famous
RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Nigeria
This page contains a list of the greatest Nigerian Religious Figures. The pantheon dataset contains 3,187 Religious Figures, 3 of which were born in Nigeria. This makes Nigeria the birth place of the 79th most number of Religious Figures behind Nicaragua, and Latvia.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Nigerian Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Nigerian Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Francis Arinze (b. 1932)
With an HPI of 53.98, Francis Arinze is the most famous Nigerian Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages on wikipedia.
Francis Arinze (born 1 November 1932) is a Nigerian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002 to 2008 and before that led the Secretariat for Non-Christians (later renamed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue) from 1984 to 2002. He has been a cardinal since 1985 and the Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni since 2005. Arinze was one of the principal advisors to Pope John Paul II and was considered papabile at the papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.
2. John Onaiyekan (b. 1944)
With an HPI of 47.85, John Onaiyekan is the 2nd most famous Nigerian Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan (born 29 January 1944) is a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was archbishop of the Latin Church archdiocese of Abuja from 1994 to 2019 and was made a cardinal in 2012. He has served as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria and bishop of Ilorin.
3. Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (b. 1936)
With an HPI of 44.34, Anthony Olubunmi Okogie is the 3rd most famous Nigerian Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (born 16 June 1936) is a Nigerian Cardinal Priest and Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church.
4. Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809 - 1891)
With an HPI of 40.36, Samuel Ajayi Crowther is the 4th most famous Nigerian Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Samuel Crowther (c. 1809 – 31 December 1891), was a Yoruba linguist, clergyman, and the first African Anglican bishop of West Africa. Born in Osogun (in what is now Ado-Awaye, Oyo State, Nigeria), he and his family were captured by Fulani slave raiders when he was about twelve years old. This took place during the Yoruba civil wars, notably the Owu wars of 1821–1829, where his village Osogun was ransacked. Ajayi was later on resold to Portuguese slave dealers, where he was put on board to be transported to the New World through the Atlantic. Crowther was freed from slavery at a coastal port by the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, which was enforcing the British ban against the Atlantic slave trade. The liberated peoples were resettled in Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, Ajayi adopted an English name of Samuel Crowther, and began his education in English. He adopted Christianity and also identified with Sierra Leone's then ascendant Krio ethnic group. He studied languages and was ordained as a minister in England, where he later received a doctoral degree from Oxford University. He prepared a Yoruba grammar and translation of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer into Yoruba, also working on a Yoruba version of the Bible, as well as other language projects.
5. Peter Okpaleke (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 39.92, Peter Okpaleke is the 5th most famous Nigerian Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Peter Ebere Okpaleke (born 1 March 1963) is a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Ekwulobia since 29 April 2020. He was appointed Bishop of Ahiara in 2012 and consecrated in 2013, but after the local clergy and laity insisted on an Mbaise bishop instead he was installed as bishop of Ekwulobia.He was later created a Cardinal in 2022 by Pope Francis on 27 August. On 27 August 2022, Pope Francis made him a cardinal.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Nigerian religious figures born between 1809 and 1963. Of these 5, 4 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Nigerian religious figures include Francis Arinze, John Onaiyekan, and Anthony Olubunmi Okogie. The most famous deceased Nigerian religious figures include Samuel Ajayi Crowther. As of April 2024, 2 new Nigerian religious figures have been added to Pantheon including Samuel Ajayi Crowther, and Peter Okpaleke.
Living Nigerian Religious Figures
Go to all Rankings
Francis Arinze
1932 - Present
HPI: 53.98
John Onaiyekan
1944 - Present
HPI: 47.85
Anthony Olubunmi Okogie
1936 - Present
HPI: 44.34
Peter Okpaleke
1963 - Present
HPI: 39.92
