CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the Study The modern day Oyo, like other places in Yorubaland, was

involved in African Traditional Religions. However, the in!road into Oyo territory in the "#$%s. hristian faith successfully made an

onse&uently, the land which had been

resistant to foreign especially 'estern influences opened its gates to the (uropeans, particularly )ritish e*plorers, soldiers, merchants and missionaries. Today, hristianity is one of the most popular religions in Oyo +tate, hristian

,igeria. The religion was first introduced by -ortuguese traders in the mid!"$%%s, but failed to take root." The second wave of hristian missionary activity in

,igeria started in the mid!".th century. Among the first missionaries were former slaves from +ierra /eone proselyti0ing in ,igeria. These individuals established missions in )adagry and Abeokuta in southwestern ,igeria. )ritish missionary organi0ations such as the 'esleyan 1ethodist 1issionary +ociety and the 2Anglican3 hurch 1issionary +ociety also set up stations in the "#4%s. The

'esleyan 1ethodist 1issionary +ociety set up its first missionary station at )adagry in "#45. Also present were the 6nited -resbyterian
"

hurch of +cotland

A7ayi, 8. 9. A. The Christian Missions in Nigeria, 18411891: The Making of a New Elite. (vanston, :ll.; ,orthwestern 6niversity -ress, ".<$.

1ission in

alabar and the +outhern )aptist

onvention in :7aye. The

atholic

+ociety of African missions, representing the atholic hurch, reached /agos and Abeokuta in "#<=. Oyo too also had its share of the mission work in the ". th century. Oyo town, formerly located within the great Oyo (mpire which was situated in southwestern ,igeria emerged sometime between the "%th and "4th centuries. 5 According to Yoruba oral tradition , it was founded by Oranmiyan , the son of Oduduwa, who left :le!:fe and decided to settle at Oyo. At the height of its power in the ">th century, Oyo e*tended its control to the ?ahomey (mpire 2in present! day )enin3, Asante (mpire 2in present!day @hana 3, )orgu, and Tapas 2territory of the ,upe3. The desire to e*tend into ?ahomey stemmed from OyoAs slave!raiding activities. ontrolling )orgu was necessary to tap into the northern trade. Oyo

began losing territory in the ">#%s, when small Yoruba kingdoms, especially :lorin , began to e*tricate themselves from Oyo control. Abiodun and O7igi were notable Alaafin from that time period. The Oyo (mpire began to decline in the early ".th century and collapsed in "#==.= :n short, hristianity became well established in Oyo after the fall of the Oyo (mpire.

8ohnson, +amuel. The History of the Yor !as fro" the Earliest Ti"es to the #eginning of the #ritish $rote%torate . Reprint. /agos; ++, 5%%". = /aw, Robin, The &yo E"'ire, % 1())18*(: + ,est +fri%an -"'erialis" in the Era of the +tlanti% .la/e. Trade O*ford; larendon -ress, ".>>.

:n sum,

hristianity took its root particularly in Abeokuta in the year "#4=

through the town of )adagry and from there to :badan in "#$" and also to :7aiye. 1issions were established in Ogbomoso and Oyo before the :7aiye war of "#<%. 1ost important to this proposed study is the establishment of the 1ethodist hurch in Oyo. Statement of the Prob em The history of the 1ethodist hurch in ,igeria is a history of gradual spread and conversion of those who did not previously have the knowledge of 'hile scholars and hrist.

hurch historians have researched the establishment of the

1ethodist hurch in ,igeria, the foundation of the hurch in Apaara, which was founded in "##> is yet to be given serious historical attention. :t is against this background that this study proposes to historici0e nature of the traditional religion of the people of OyoB discuss the factors that led to the growth of the hurch and analyse the impact of the hurch on the people of Apaara and Oyo at large. This study also covers relevant information about the people of Apaara, their history, culture, religious festivals, economy and political organi0ation. Re!earch "ue!t#on! i. How was Apaara Town establishedC ii. How did the 1ethodist hurch come into ApaaraC iii. 'hat impact did 1ethodist hurch have on the people of ApaaraC

iv. 'hat challenges were faced by the 1ethodist fathersC

hurch, Apaara founding

Ob$ect#%e! of the !tudy (very research work is targeted towards the achievement of certain ob7ectives. 9or this study, the proposed research ob7ectives are to; i. ii. (*amine the nature of traditional religion of the people of Oyo (*amine the historical origin of 1ethodist introduction into Oyo iii. iv. ?iscuss factors that contributed towards the growth of the church Analy0e the impact of the church on the land and the people of Apaara, Oyo. hurch as well as its

Sco&e of the !tudy The work covers the history of 1ethodist hurch in Apaara, Oyo from its

foundation in "##> to 5%"5. The study cannot isolate the history of Apaara, its people, traditional religion and the coming of :slam into the town. Hence, in one part, the study begins with the people and move further to the introduction of hristianity into Oyo in and then the coming of 1ethodist hurch in Apaara, Oyo in the ".th century.

'#terature Re%#e(
)efore any historical research can be carried out, certain works or research similar to such work in &uestion has to be considered. This is done, so as to 7ustify, critici0e or add to the e*isting works on the sub7ect matter. +ome e*isting works are therefore reviewed by the researcher in her work. Reverend +amuel 8ohnsonAs work focuses on the History of the Yor !a, the book discussed about the foundation of Oyo and its geostrategic importance to the Yoruba people but the ma7or concern in this study is on 1ethodist church Apaara Oyo. However the work is relevant in the area of early history of Oyo. 'illiston 'alker in + .hort History of the Christian Ch r%h, talks about the growth and birth of the hristian 1issions 2churches3 but fail to lay more emphasis on the advent of 1ethodism in the country 2,igeria3 and its spread to Oyo, which has been provided ade&uately in this work on the History of 1ethodist hurch, Apaara, Oyo. Rt. Rev. Ayo /adigbolu in his work, focuses on the Roots of 1ethodism in :badan ?iocese, he gives account of the origin 2historical background3 of churches!1ethodist churches in :badan diocese which includes Apaara circuit 2Apaara /ocal hurch3 but the aspect touched in the study on the History of 1ethodist hurch Apaara, Oyo has unveil some aspects that are briefed in the former work by Rt. Rev. Ayo /adigbolu but not ade&uately covered since it goes beyond the period covered in the e*isting works, it serves as a great contribution to other work on related topics. The record from 1ethodist hurch, ,igeria during the foundation conference of ".<5 shows the work of others in the growth of the 1ethodist hurch in the country and the challenges faced by the missionaries in their different stations but much was not said as touching the various difficulties faced by the fathers of faith who has contributed largely to the work of @od in Apaara Oyo, though it serves as a good tool for the student researcher in her work but this study has contributed to the information provided in the records.

1oreover, a programme of launcheon of ,ew

hurch )uilding in the circuit

2present circuit3 of the church also contributed to the basic information needed by the researcher but was not ade&uate in its informations. Therefore, this study has, without mincing words, contributed greatly and widen the scope of understanding of interested future researchers on related topics by giving ade&uate information on the contribution of notable members of the church and activities 2attitudes3 of some hristian missionaries towards the development of the church and its various achievements at different levels. 9inally, every church in every community has its own history. 'ithout the history of the community and that of 1ethodist people and its environs and that of hurch Apaara, Oyo, the history of the Oyo hristianity in Yoruba interior mission is not

completed. This then, form the 7ustification for the present study.

S#gn#f#cance of the !tudy (very product of history is of great significance as our general knowledge becomes widened. The first beneficiary of this study is the research student, whose knowledge and understanding of the area of study is e&uipped. This study increases our understanding of the origin and development of 1ethodist Oyo on which much has not been written. :n addition, the study of this nature would make it possible for general readers, students of history and teachers to be familiar with how the church was established. :t will also help secure and safe guard the history of the church, keep it documented for future reference instead of mouth to mouth which may suffer loss of tangible information due to loss of memory. hurch Apaara,

9inally, no successful historical research is a worthless e*ercise, the interviewees will have their memories refreshed as a result of this work.

Re!earch )ethodo ogy This study adopts the historical research methodology. This method is most appropriate in studying the history of an organi0ation in a particular society. The work depended largely on primary sources especially oral interviews collected from the members of the hurch as well as from prominent persons of in Apaara Town. +econdary source materials were also sourced to enrich the research work. -ublished works on hristianity in Oyo were consulted to provide a scholarly

guideline on the historical evolution of the 1ethodist hurch in Oyo.

S*NOPSIS O+ CHAPTER CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION )ackground to the +tudy +tatement of the -roblem Research Duestions Ob7ectives of the +tudy +cope of the +tudy /iterature Review +ignificance of the +tudy Research 1ethodology CHAPTER T,O )ETHODIST CHURCH- APAARA- O*O IN HISTORICA' PERSPECTI.ES :ntroduction (arly Origin 1ethodism in Oyo Town ?evelopment of the hurch CHAPTER THREE I)PACT O+ THE CHURCH ON APAARA AND O*O Religious :mpact -olitical :mpact +ocial :mpact (conomic :mpact Humanitarian +ervices within the +ociety CONC'USION BIB'IO/RAPH*

RE+ERENCES
A7ayi, 8. 9. A. The Christian Missions in Nigeria, 18411891: The Making of a New Elite. (vanston, :ll.; ,orthwestern 6niversity -ress, ".<$. 8ohnson, +amuel. The History of the Yor !as fro" the Earliest Ti"es to the #eginning of the #ritish $rote%torate . Reprint. /agos; ++, 5%%".

/adigbolu A., The 0oots of Metho1is" in -!a1an 2io%ese3 #isho'4s Ho se Mafoh n5 Molete, -badan, 8uly "..<
/aw, Robin, The &yo E"'ire, % 1())18*(: + ,est +fri%an -"'erialis" in the Era of the +tlanti% .la/e. Trade O*ford; larendon -ress, ".>>.