Come Tuesday, 10 October, Dr. Sunday Olatunji Makinde would turn 80 and his children, family and friends are set to roll out drums for the occasion. According to those close to the Makinde family, a thanksgiving service has been scheduled to celebrate the illustrious life of the prelate emeritus of the Methodist Church of Nigeria. His Eminence Makinde’s birthday thanksgiving service will be held at the Hoares Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba, Lagos on Tuesday. It will be followed by a reception at a private venue. Most Rev. Dr. Ayo Olawuyi and one of Makinde’s sons, Temilolu Makinde have been paired to ensure dignitaries and associates of the prelate emeritus are well taken care of at a scheduled reception ceremony.
Dr. Makinde was born on October 10, 1943 in the twin villages of Ogunranti and Balogun Kure in Lagelu Local Government, Ibadan, Oyo State. He made his mark in the ministry when he was transferred to Abuja to establish the Diocese of Abuja in 1993. He was elevated to an Archbishop when Abuja became an Archdiocese in 1998 and was able to complete the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s House, established two Nursery and Primary Schools, established many churches, acquired lands for Methodist Church Nigeria, and put Methodist Church Nigeria on the map of Federal Capital Territory within the nine years he stayed in Abuja. He was transferred to Lagos as the Archbishop of Lagos in 2003. His achievements as the Archbishop of Lagos were enormous. In 2006 he was elected as the Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria and was invested on November 12, 2006 at Trinity Methodist Church, Tinubu, Lagos with people from all walks of life at home and abroad in attendance.