London ordains first ever Nigerian-African born bishop

Nigeria-born Woyin Karowei Dorgu has been ordained as a Church of England bishop in the diocese of Woolwich in south-east London. He is the first black Church of England bishop to be appointed for 20 years and becomes the most high-profile African-born clergyman in the Church of England after Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who was born in Uganda.

Dorgu succeeds the Right Reverend Michael Geoffrey Ipgrave as the 13th Bishop of Woolwich.

He was born in June 1958 in Burutu, Delta state, Nigeria and studied medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos where he graduated with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degrees.

He moved to the United Kingdom in 1987 where he studied theology at the London Bible College from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, he entered Oak Hill College, a Conservative Evangelical theological college, to train for ordained ministry. He was ordained as a priest in 1996.

Dorgu is married to Mosun who also trained as a medical doctor in Nigeria.

In December 2016, it was announced that he would be the next Bishop of Woolwich. His nomination was approved by Queen Elizabeth II.