75th ANNIVERSARY OF DOMINICAN (OP) PRESENCE IN NIGERIA (1951–2026).

What is being celebrated and why?

We are celebrating as a commemoration of the arrival of the first set of Dominican Friars of St. Joseph the Worker Province in Nigeria, 1951 - a historical fact in the unfolding of our story. We celebrate the arrival of our forebears to "Nigeria", the starting point of the Dominican mission in the Province of Nigeria and Ghana, and now on mission to Zambia as well.
The earliest Dominican Friars: Frs. Edward Thaddeus Lawton, Arthur Kinsella and Michael Dempsey arrived in Nigeria on the 27th of February 1951. They arrived on a flight from the United States of America which did a stopover in Lisbon Portugal and whose final destination was Accra Ghana. They went to Ghana in order to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Kumasi, after which they flew into Lagos. They settled down at a service inn organized by the Archdiocese of Lagos. The then Archbishop of Lagos Leo Taylor outlined the basic reasons for the coming of the Dominicans as follows (cf. Paschal Ugwu OP, “History of The Dominican Friars in Nigeria and Ghana Since 1951”, University of Lagos press 2024):

● The Dominicans were to establish a Thomistic Institute for the study of Philosophy and Theology.
● They were to administer the parish then called St. Patrick’s at the outskirts of Lagos then called Yaba.
● They were to preach retreats in Nigeria and Ghana, then called the Gold Coast.
● And they were to establish a Catholic Diocese in the Sokoto caliphate.

On 4th March, 1951 the three friars moved to the Yaba parish. It was from here that the other apostolates and ministries of the Dominican friars took off including the establishment of the Sokoto and Katsina Prefecture in the year. The year 1953 saw the arrival of the Dominican sisters of Great Bend Kansas. The Prefecture of Sokoto was established in June, 1953 and one of the three forebears, Friar Edward T. Lawton was appointed Prefect Apostlolic in January, 1954. He was consecrated the first Bishop of Sokoto in August, 1964. After Bishop Lawton died, Fr. Michael Dempsey succeeded him as Bishop on August 15, 1967. In Lagos, the intended St. Patrick’s Parish grew and was eventually named the legendary St. Dominic's Parish, Yaba. And at Ibadan, the intended Thomistic Institute was established as the prestigious Dominican Institute of Philosophy and Theology, which gave birth to the current Dominican University, Ibadan.

Who is Celebrating?

It is the 75th Anniversary of the foundation, the arrival of the forebears of the Dominicans of the Province of St. Joseph The Worker, Nigeria and Ghana: the Province comprises four Priories (Samonda Ibadan, Yaba Lagos, Mafoluku Lagos, and Oyigbo Rivers). There are also some extra-territorial mission grounds among which Zambia is preeminent. Other mission countries include the United States of America, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Since the arrival of the Dominican Sisters of Great Bend Kansas to Gusau, as part of the Dominican family, we have also had the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena (Italy), Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii, Dominican Nuns Monastery Ilorin, Lay Dominican Fraternity (LDF), Dominican Young Hearts Movement (DYHM), and Priests Fraternity. In the past 75 years, we have also got some organized associates as friends like the Friends of Dominicans (FOD and the COFOD). Accordingly, these Dominican family members of different entities of the Province, Associates, Parishioners, and Friends in our different places of apostolates are all celebrating this diamond Jubilee.

How are we Celebrating?

We have two levels of celebration for this Jubilee. The first level is the Local Celebration in all communities, parishes, and entities of the Province. Each Local celebration will be planned and executed in accordance with the local reality and capacity of the community or entity. The local celebration in communities and entities is scheduled for Friday, May 1st, 2026. The sights and colours of the local celebrations will form the photo gallery of the next Provincial News Letter.

The second level of this Jubilee celebration will take place on the 17th and 18th of July, 2026. On Friday, 17th July, at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, Samonda, Ibadan, there will be an Anniversary Symposium based on the diamond history we are celebrating. The grand finale of our 75th Anniversary takes place on Saturday 18th July. It begins with the Jubilee Ordination of some Priests and Deacons at the Priory. The Jubilee Ordination will be followed immediately by the grand reception. During this reception, there will be entertainment and recognition by way of awards to some 75 Jubilee personalities. Nothing should be left behind in celebrating this diamond milestone wherein the Dominican Province of St. Joseph The Worker, Nigeria and Ghana, celebrates durability, strength and brilliance in her mission.

There will be some other remarkable takeaway from this diamond Jubilee. These include the branded Anniversary T-shirt which is already available in all Dominican communities in the Province. We shall also have the 75th Anniversary Pictorial Directory of the Province that we celebrate: pictures of all the friars, brief history of all our entities, and group pictures of the sisters, LDF, DYHM, and Priests Fraternity in our Province. We give thanks to the Almighty God for the grace and gift of life as we celebrate the durability, strength and brilliance of the Dominicans in the Province of St. Joseph The Worker, Nigeria and Ghana.

Planning Committee Members

Br. Dominic Mbomson, OP, (Chairman); Br. Martin Aitsebaomo, OP; Br. Raymond Nwabueze, OP; Br. Paschal Ugwu, OP; Br. Moses Ani, OP; Br. Lawrence Ejembi, OP; Br. Emmanuel Ogadah, OP;

Other Members include:

Br. Cyprian Edoziem, OP; Sr. Chinenye Ekwealo, OP; Sr. Mary Edith Anumudu, OP; Sr. Judith Nkenwokeneme, OP; Sr. Esther Upaa, OP; Br. Chuks Osademe, (DYHM); Br. Vincent Okoro, OP (LDF).

Fr. Dominic Mbomson, OP
16th April, 2026