Thanksgiving/Memorial service for J.K. Randle holds Dec. 17

The yearly Thanksgiving and Memorial Service for the late Chief J.K. Randle, the Lisa of Lagos, will hold on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos at 2:00pm.

The late Chief Randle, who died on December 17, 1956 at the age of 47 shortly after he returned from Melbourne, Australia, was the Chef de Mission of the Nigerian team at the Olympic Games.

The 1956 10-man team included: the 100m and long jump athlete, Captain K.A.B. Olowu; a pole vault athlete, R.A. Oluwo; J.O. Chigbolu, V.O. Gabriel, 100m and 4x100m relay, E.A. Ajado; T.A. Erinle; T. Obi; A.K. Amu; P. Esiri and former Attorney-General of the Cameroons (then the Cameroons was part of Nigeria) and P.B. Enigo, who participated in the triple and long jump events.

The accompanying officials were Chief J. K. Randle (Chef de Mission), A.A. Ordia (coach), J.A. Enyeazu (assistant coach) and Arthur Cooper, Nigerian Attache, Melbourne.

Chief Randle was also the Chairman of Lagos Island Club and the Lagos Racing (Horse Racing) Club as well as a member of the Lagos Town Council and a member of the Lagos Executive Development Board.

Alhaji K. A. B. Olowu (KAB) who passed away on August 14, 2019, saw the end of the team.

Chief J.K. Randle, who was a businessman, politician, philanthropist and outstanding all-round sportsman, was involved in cricket, football, boxing, and athletics, among others. While a student at the King’s College, Lagos, he played cricket at the international level and was a member of the Nigerian team that played against Ghana (then known as Gold Coast) in 1929. He was also an undefeated champion at draughts.

The abducted Chibok girls who would have been in captivity for eight years, eight months and three days from April 14, 2014, they were abducted will be specially prayed for. The soldiers/security agencies and other victims of the insurgency will also be remembered in the prayers.

Randle belonged to a generation of Nigerians whose influence cut across ethnicity, religion, race or whatever. Several streets have been named after him in Lagos, Apapa and Surulere as a mark of honour for him.

Also, the Chief J.K. Randle Memorial Hall, Onikan, Lagos, was built in his memory, while Randle Secondary School, Apapa, and Randle General Hospital, Surulere, Lagos, were also named after him.

As a great philanthropist, successful businessman, socialite and sportsman, Chief Randle was passionate about Lagos and Nigeria in addition to being stoutly against racial discrimination, ethnic jingoism and religious intolerance.

Some of the beneficiaries of his good works are two Christian schools and two Muslim schools such as Holy Cross Primary School, Lagos; CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos; Ansar-ud-Deen College, Isolo, Lagos and Ahmadiyya College, Agege.

Randle was the school captain of his school, King’s College, Lagos, from 1928 to 1929.