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J.K. Randle x3
Dr John Kehinde "JK" Randle
Dr John Kehinde "JK" Randle was born in Sierra Leone in 1855. His father, Thomas Randle, was a liberated slave from Oyo, who had settled in Freetown. He later moved to Lagos. John Randle attended the CMS Grammar School in Freetown, Sierra Leone, before working as a dispenser in the colonial hospital. He saved enough money that enabled him to attend the University of Edinburgh in Scotland between 1884 and 1888, graduating with a gold medal in materia medica. Randle and his fellow-student Obadiah Johnson obtained positions in 1889 as Assistant Colonial Surgeons in the Lagos Colonial Hospital. At the same time, Randle practiced privately, treating most of the European traders of Lagos, particularly the Germans.
In November 1890 Randle married Victoria Matilda Davies, the daughter of the famous and wealthy Captain James Pinson Labulo Davies and Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria's god-daughter. Queen Victoria had given Matilda Davies the name Victoria at her christening, had bestowed an allowance of £40 for life and had given her a solid gold christening set. The queen donated the material for Matilda's wedding gown.
Randle resigned from the Colonial Service in 1892. He was angry that as an African he was given about half the salary of a European with the same training, and that he was being required to serve as a doctor in locations far from Lagos. Gilbert Thomas Carter, Governor of Lagos in 1891–97, said of his resignation, "My past experience of native doctors ... does not encourage me to place much faith in their aptitude for this profession..." Randle withdrew his resignation, but asked for an increase in salary to £500 per year. Randle was dismissed from the service in September 1893 for his persistent refusal to make tours of duty to the British military outpost at Ijebu Ode. He devoted himself to private medical practice, in which he was highly successful. He served patients from all levels of society, providing free treatment to the poor. Randle was successful in treating yellow fever and guinea worm infestation.
Dr Randle grew wealthy, acquired a lot of land in Lagos and had a significant shareholding in the Bank of British West Africa (now First Bank Nigeria). He was one of the famous "Victorian Gentlemen" of Lagos (in the late 1800s and early 1900s). He even went as far as ordering his food from England!
He was one of the leaders of the idea that an African Church needed to be created. A lot of Nigerian priests had received advanced formal education in the late 1800s, but this did not translate into senior positions for them. Some African priests had complained, but they were suspended on basically, racist grounds. In 1890 Randle was a member of a committee that invited the pan-Africanist educator, journalist and politician Edward Wilmot Blyden (a Liberian) to Lagos to support them in their dispute over the Niger Mission. On 2 January 1891, at a meeting attended by Governor Cornelius Alfred Moloney, Blyden proposed an independent African Church with Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther as its head. (An African Church was eventually established in 1901 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_African_Church).
Although Herbert Macaulay's Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) was the first political party in Nigeria, many political associations had existed long before the NNDP was created in 1922. These associations were created to promote certain causes and fight for certain rights, rather than to contest elections. Dr JK Randle became active in politics and the governor of the Colony of Lagos, Sir William MacGregor, made him a provisional member of the Legislative Council in 1899. Dr JK Randle, along with other notable and legendary Lagosians like Dr Orisadipe Obasa, Sir Kitoye Ajasa, Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Dr Richard Akinwande Savage formed The People's Union, a political association, in 1908.
In my personal opinion, the main problem that the People's Union had was that it was not radical enough for Lagosians. It actually fought against some of the policies of the Colonial Government, but it did not go as far as Lagosians would have liked.
For example, the People's Union fought against the water rate that was proposed by the Colonial Government. The government had planned to tax Lagosians and to use the revenue to build the Iju Waterworks. Many Lagosians, especially traditional Lagosians, felt that the new waterworks would be primarily used by the Europeans and therefore the Europeans should pay for it. The traditional Lagosians were satisfied with the water that they bought from Da Rocha and with the many wells that were dug across the city. When the government insisted on imposing the water rate, the traditional Lagosians, led by the Oba of Lagos, Eshugbayi Eleko, staged a mass protest that led to a riot.
In contrast, although the educated elite, led by the People's Union, opposed the water rate, their reason for opposing it was that there should be no taxation without representation (this was similar to the demand of the American independence agitators). They demanded that the government should conduct elections, so that Lagosians would have a say in how their tax money was being used, only then would they accept the water rate (traditional Lagosians were not ready to accept the water rate for any reason). The educated elite, led by the People's Union, later capitulated when they were threatened by the government (Lord Lugard brought back the idea of the water rate and threatened the members of the People's Union with charges of sedition and threats of agitation).
The members of the People's Union also fought against the proposal by Lord Lugard to convert all land in Nigeria to government property. They toured Yorubaland and even went to London to campaign against the proposal. The government subsequently dropped the idea.
The People's Union waned during World War 1 and Dr Randle and Dr Obasa formed the Reform Club after the war. The Reform Club took an interest in politics and education and seemed to be a continuation of the People's Union.
Herbert Macaulay formed the Nigerian National Democratic Party in 1922 and Governor Sir Hugh Clifford instituted elections in Lagos in 1923 and in response to these activities, the People's Union was revived. However, as I said earlier, it was not radical enough for Lagosians. Herbert Macaulay and his NNDP vigorously challenged the policies of the Colonial Government, while the People's Union advocated for gradual change. The people of Lagos loved Macaulay very much.
The pool and garden
However, our main concern in this piece is the major contributions and donations that Dr JK Randle made to Lagos.
Dr Randle lived in the Marina area of Lagos (you might remember that I told you that Europeans and wealthy Lagosians lived on the Marina before the Onikoyi gave the Europeans land on which they built a European settlement in Ikoyi). He could see as Lagosians were being ferried from the Island to the Mainland and vice versa in boats (which were the main means of transport at the time). Every so often there would be a mishap and a boat would capsize and people would die. Dr Randle felt that the situation could be improved if Lagosians were taught how to swim. He wrote several letters to the Colonial Government, urging them to build a public swimming pool where Lagosians would be taught how to swim, but his letters were ignored.
Dr Randle then decided to do the task himself. He built a public swimming pool in the Onikan area of Lagos and handed it over to the Lagos Town Council to run. He went as far as donating money for the maintenance of the pool. That pool is the famous Onikan Swimming Pool.
Dr Randle also felt that ordinary Lagosians should have a park where they can relax in the evenings. The park and beach at the Marina was mainly used by Europeans and he wanted somewhere that indigenous Lagosians could relax. He therefore built the famous Randle Love Garden near the pool and handed it over to the council to run.
Dr Randle also made huge donations to several communities across West Africa. In 1920 he was appointed one of the vice-patrons of the Sierra Leonean Friendly Society of Lagos. He built a chapel and two schools in his birth town of Regent, and contributed funds to erect a science building at Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone and to support science teaching there. He donated his medical and scientific books and journals to Fourah Bay College, and donated money for a professorship and medical scholarships.
Dr John Kehinde "JK" Randle passed away on February 27th, 1928 at the age of 73. He was buried at the rear of the Ikoyi Cemetery, but in 1940 his remains were moved to the front of the cemetery as a gesture to acknowledge his achievements. JK Randle Road, Onikan (between Tafawa Balewa Square and State House Marina) is named after him. 11 Likes 3 Shares 
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