Throwback: Sir Kitoye Ajasa, The First Nigerian To Be Knighted, Posing With His Vintage Car In Lagos

Throwback: Sir Kitoye Ajasa, the first Nigerian to be Knighted, posing with his vintage car in Lagos. 

Just the way we have men that built America, like the likes of John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P Morgan among others, so also we have transformational Nigerian leaders. Among them is Sir Kitoyi Ajasa who used his Newspaper, Nigerian Pioneer, to fight for independence for Nigeria.

Sir Kitoyi Ajasa (1866- 1937), born Edmund Macaulay, was a prominent Nigerian lawyer, newspaper Proprietor and legislator during the colonial period. He attended CMS Grammar School Lagos and Studied Law in London.

• READ ALSO: Throwback Footage Of Prince Philip And Queen Elizabeth Taking Royal Tour On The Street Of Lagos, Nigeria

Ajasa, called to the Bar in 1893, served as an unofficial member of the Colonial Legislative Council from 1906- 1933.

He founded ‘The Nigerian Pioneer’- one of the earliest Newspapers in the country. In 1929, he became the first Nigerian to receive a Knighthood.

• READ ALSO: The Key Differences Between A Chauffeur And A Driver

A picture shared on social media showed Ajasa, in trilby hat, with his chauffer, posing with his vintage car outside his residence- Godstone House, in Onikan Lagos, in the 1930s. Godstone House was demolished in 1959 to make way for the National Assembly building.

Ajasa’s children included the Nigerian nationalist and feminist Oyinkan, Lady Abayomi (1897–1990), wife of Sir Kofo Abayomi.

• READ ALSO: How French President Was Saved By Citroen DS Despite Gunmen’s 140 Bullets For Giving Algeria Independence