Maxwell Anikwenwa was an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Anikwenwa was born in

Oyi Oyi is a Local Government Area in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is home to the Oyi people. The towns that make up the local government are Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Awkuzu, Ogbunike, Umunede Umunya and Nteje. Oyi/Ayamelum is a Federal Constituency repres ...

in 1940; and educated at

Trinity Theological College, Umuahia Trinity Theological College, Umuahia is a religious training college affiliated to the University of Nigeria. References External links Facebook
Universities and colleges in Nigeria Education in Abia State Educational institutions establis ...

Life and career

He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1964 and

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in December 1966. He served in

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

and

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. He was elected, consecrated, and enthroned as the first Bishop of Awka in 1987; and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the Niger in 2000. He was also Dean of the Church of Nigeria. He retired as Bishop of Awka, Archbishop of the Niger and Dean of the Church on 22 November 2010.

Death

He died on Monday, 13 March 2023.

Notes

Living people Anglican bishops of Awka Anglican archbishops of the Niger People from Kaduna 21st-century Anglican archbishops 20th-century Anglican bishops in Nigeria People from Anambra State Trinity Theological College, Umuahia alumni 1940 births Deans of the Church of Nigeria {{Nigeria-Anglican-bishop-stub