The Remarkable Story of Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones
The Remarkable Story of Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones (1876–1957), Great-Grandfather of Curtis Jones, Liverpool FC Midfielder
If you’re familiar with Lagos, particularly Ikeja, you’ve likely come across the area known as Adeniyi Jones. This prominent location is named after Dr. Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones, a towering figure in Nigerian history whose legacy still resonates today.
Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones was a Nigerian medical doctor of Sierra Leonean heritage and a trailblazer in various fields. He was the first director of the Yaba Asylum and one of Nigeria’s earliest nationalists. As a member and later president of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), he championed the cause of indigenous Africans. Adeniyi-Jones also served in Nigeria’s legislative council from 1923 to 1938, advocating for policies that benefited Nigerians.
Born in Freetown to Sierra Leone Creole parents, Adeniyi-Jones attended Sierra Leone Grammar School before earning degrees at the University of Durham and Trinity College Dublin. He began his medical career at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital and later trained under Sir Rubert Boyce of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
In 1904, Adeniyi-Jones returned to Nigeria, joining the government medical services in Lagos. Despite systemic barriers limiting the advancement of African doctors, he was appointed the first director of the Yaba Asylum. By 1914, he left government service to establish a successful private clinic in Lagos.
On June 24, 1923, Adeniyi-Jones co-founded the NNDP with Herbert Macaulay, Eric Moore, Egerton Shyngle, and Thomas Jackson. The NNDP contested Lagos’s three African legislative council seats, and Adeniyi-Jones won a seat, serving for 15 years. He tirelessly defended the interests of Nigerians, opposing colonial policies like indirect rule and advocating for increased African representation in civil service, the expansion of primary schools, and reforms in cocoa grading and provincial courts.
Beyond politics, Adeniyi-Jones was a visionary in economic development. He was president of the Nigeria Mercantile Bank and a major financier of the West African Co-operative Producers Limited. These ventures aimed to elevate the economic standing of Africans within the British Empire. Although these initiatives fell short of their founders’ dreams, they laid the groundwork for future successes, including the formation of the National Bank of Nigeria by former directors of the Nigeria Mercantile Bank.
Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones was not just a nationalist and a pioneer; he was a visionary who believed in the potential of Africans to thrive within and beyond the colonial system. His legacy lives on, not only in the area named after him but also in the enduring spirit of progress he championed.