In the past decades, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has become a historic reference point in matters of intra/interreligious dialogue & leadership. His professionalism in this field is regularly sought after both locally and internationally and this has earned him several appointments, recognitions and many esteemed awards and laurels. He has toured round the world delivering lectures at prestigious institutions as well as high level conferences on global justice, peace and human development.
Born on January 29th, 1944, in Kabba, Kogi State Nigeria, John Cardinal Onaiyekan is the fourth Nigerian Cardinal. He began his education at an early age of 5 and maintained distinctions and first class all through his academic pursuits. Journey to his priestly life commenced with an ordination in his home parish when he turned 25 in 1969. At the age of 38, Pope St. John Paul II ordained him the auxiliary Bishop of Ilorin in 1983, thus making Onaiyekan, one of the youngest Bishops of his time. Onaiyekan was made the Bishop of Ilorin in 1985 and was appointed the co-adjutor Bishop of Abuja in 1990 by the same Pope and from this point Onaiyekan rose to the rank of the first metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja in 1994 untill his retirement in November, 2019. In November 2012, he was created a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI (12th).
Cardinal Onaiyekan (CON, Ph.D) is the Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Nigeria, the immediate past Co-Chair African Council of Religious Leaders (RfP), and the Former Christian Moderator World Conference of Religious for Peace RfP. Onaiyekan formerly served as a member Standing Committee of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and also, a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Presently, he is the Honorary President, RfP & a Member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Role of Faith. Serving on these international bodies and many other forums has afforded Cardinal Onaiyekan the opportunity of understanding the complexities, challenges, difficulties, & prospects available in engaging in interreligious cooperation and good governance at the global level.
To keep the legacies of His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan alive, COFP Foundation was founded as a platform for actualizing inclusive peace, good governance and transformative development across Africa. He has authored a number books: Seeking Common Grounds: Interreligious Dialogue in Africa (2013), Theology in Context: Inculturation and Evangelization in Africa (2016), The Word of God in the Church in Africa (2019) Let the Truth Prevail (2021), Religions for Peace, Not War (2024), and many others. Cardinal Onaiyekan is confident that when there is common ground, it will provide the basis for common actions for peace and human development since common action is often built and rooted effectively on share common grounds and values.
For Cardinal Onaiyekan, the 2012 Noble Peace Prize Award Nominee and recipient of many peace accolades including the 2012 Pax Christi Internal Peace Prize and the Grand Official of Italian Friendship conferred on him by President Carlo A. Ciampi of Italy in 2003 (Grande Ufficiale 1 Classe: Ordinedella Stella della Solidarieta Italiana), true peace means upholding justice & fairness, openness to reconciliation and forgiveness, understanding that what we have in common is greater than our difference & that our differences are nothing but stepping stones towards embracing our commonalities. This is the vision that drives our work at COFP Foundation.
