The Bishop-elect of Lagos Mainland, Orthodox Anglican Church in Nigeria, a newly registered church in Nigeria that has its root in the US, The Revd. Funso Awe has said the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion has no monopoly over the name Anglican.
Awe, who was recently elected Missionary Bishop of Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Orthodox Anglican Church, said the church has been in Nigeria since August 2011.
However, the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion had in a statement signed by the Primate of the Church, Henry Ndukuba; Registrar of the Church, Abraham Yisa, and General Secretary of the Church, Paul Dajur dismissed the existence of the church stating that it would institute a legal action against it.
The church stated that all the bishops of the Orthodox Anglican Church in Nigeria are not members of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Church.
The statement noted that the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is registered under the companies and allied matters acts and the Trade Marks Act, saying all necessary legal action will be taken against the infringement.
Awe, however, dismissed the press statement, saying the Orthodox Anglican Church International started operation in the US in 1963. He said the church broke out of the Episcopal Church of the Anglican Church in the US and has been operating independently since then. The Primate of the Church is Thomas E. Gordon.
Awe, who was a priest in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, retired voluntarily from the church in November 2019. He said he had nothing to do with the Church of Nigeria again wondering why the church came up with such statement.
Awe was also a governorship candidate in the 2019 general election in Lagos. According to him, the name Anglican is not a monopoly of the Church of Nigeria because it’s an English word. “If they are going by the use of the name, then the Church of Nigeria should not be bearing the name Anglican, because it also broke away from the Anglican Episcopal Church in the US because of the gay issue,” he said.
Awe stated that he had never claimed to be a Bishop in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion since he voluntarily retired last November wondering why the church should put out a disclaimer.
According to him the name Anglican, like the name apostolic, is a generic name. There are several Churches with the name Anglican on the global front the same way we have churches with the name Apostolic. So, there is no basis for the press statement from the Church of Nigeria.
“We are not claiming we are Church of Nigeria. The name is distinct. It is Orthodox,” said Awe.
Speaking further on the name registration, Awe said that the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Nicholas Okoh had taken the church to court, restraining it from using the name when the church first came to Nigeria. “That was why we first registered as Orthodox Gospel Church. But in court it was discovered that the Anglican Church could not produce its CAC certificate which has Anglican on it. The court even had to fine the Anglican Church N100,000 at the end of the day. So, we could not register ours too as Orthodox Anglican Church in Nigeria and had to use Orthodox Gospel Church in Nigeria. But we have the international registration certificate which we now use. That one has the name Anglican,” Awe stated.
SEYI JOHN SALAU
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