It was in 1842 that the foundation of the first storey building in Nigeria was laid by Reverend Henry Townsend of the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S) on the Marina waterfront in Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria.
Three years later, in 1845, some other missionaries finished building what stands today as a significant relic of Nigerian history. The building served as a vicarage for Saint Thomas Anglican Church but was later used by Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African C.M.S bishop who translated the Holy Bible from English to Yoruba Language.
In one of the two rooms on the upper floor of the building, there lay a glass case containing the English and Yoruba version of the bible translated by Ajayi Crowther. It was said that the English bible is 178 years old while the Yoruba version is 175 years.
The building floor housed the room of the first teacher in Nigeria, Mr Claudius Philips. Philips, who wore a black shirt, suit and a white trouser in the portrait which adorned the wall, lived in the room for 23 years, from 1845 to 1868.
No comments:
Post a Comment