Kitoye Ajasa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kitoye Ajasa
OBE
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Ajasa c. 1919
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| Born |
Edmund Macaulay
10 August 1866 Lagos
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| Died | 1937 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Citizenship | Nigerian |
| Alma mater | Inner Temple Inn of Court |
| Occupation | Lawyer, legislator |
| Known for | First Nigerian to be knighted |
| Political party | People's Union |
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Sir Kitoye Ajasa (born 10 August 1866 – died 1937) was an important Nigerian lawyer and lawmaker. He lived during the time when Nigeria was a British colony. He believed that Nigeria would make progress by adopting European ideas and systems. Ajasa was a leader of the People's Union political group. He also started a newspaper called the Nigerian Pioneer. He was the first Nigerian person to be made a knight by the British government.
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Early Life of Kitoye Ajasa
Kitoye Ajasa's family was part of the Saro community. His family had moved to Lagos from a place called Ajase in Dahomey. His father, Thomas Benjamin Macaulay, was born in Dahomey. He was taken into slavery but later became free in Sierra Leone.
Kitoye Ajasa's first name was Edmund Macaulay. He was born in Lagos on 10 August 1866. He went to CMS Grammar School, Lagos. Later, he moved to England. There, he attended Dulwich College, which is a public school. He then studied law at the Inner Temple Inn of Court. He became a lawyer in 1893. After living in London for twelve years, he changed his name to Kitoye Ajasa. He returned to Lagos and started his law practice. He married Lucretia Olayinka Moore, who was an Egba princess.
Sir Kitoye Ajasa's Political Career
In 1906, Ajasa became a special member of the Legislative Council. This council helped make laws for the colony. In 1914, he joined the Nigerian Council. This council was led by Governor-General Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard.
Ajasa and other leaders believed that working against the British government was not helpful. They thought that progress in Nigeria could only happen with the British. Ajasa believed that Nigerians should fully adopt European ideas. He thought this was the fastest way to make progress. Some people at the time disagreed with him. They said his newspaper supported old-fashioned ideas. They wondered why an African man would not care more about his own people.
Ajasa was a main member of the People's Union. This group was started in 1908 by John Randle. Other important members included Orisadipe Obasa and Adeyemo Alakija. The People's Union was a conservative group. This means they preferred slow changes. They were against the more radical Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). The NNDP was started in 1922 by Herbert Macaulay. The People's Union ended in 1928 after John Randle passed away.
The Nigerian Pioneer Newspaper
Ajasa started the Nigerian Pioneer newspaper in 1914. It was meant to be different from the more radical Weekly Record newspaper. Many people thought the government secretly funded Ajasa's paper. This was because he was known to be a close friend of Governor Lugard.
The Nigerian Pioneer usually supported the government's actions. It was against people and groups that the government did not like. Unlike other newspapers, it did not strongly criticize the government. Because of this, many people in Lagos did not trust it. Ajasa wrote in 1923 that his newspaper's goal was to explain the government to the people and the people to the government. The Nigerian Pioneer closed down after Ajasa's death in 1937.
Achievements and Later Life
Kitoye Ajasa became a Judge of the High Court of Lagos. He received an award called Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1924. He was made a knight in 1928. This made him the first Nigerian to be knighted. He remained a lawmaker until 1933. Sir Kitoye Ajasa passed away in 1937. His children included Oyinkan, Lady Abayomi, who was a Nigerian nationalist and a supporter of women's rights.
Freemasonry and Sir Kitoye Ajasa
Sir Kitoye Ajasa was a Freemason. He thought very highly of Freemasonry. He was the leader of the Lagos Lodge No. 1171 several times. He held this position in 1901, 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1928.
Images for kids
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Ajasa c. 1919
