His Eminence Alexandros, Metropolitan of Nigeria (known in the world as George Gianniris) was born in Athens in 1960. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Pastoral and Social Theology of the University of Thessalonica. He was enrolled in the clergy of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and ordained Deacon on 1st October 1988 and Priest on 2nd October 1988. From the time of his ordination he served in the Holy Archdiocese of Johannesburg and Pretoria as Superior of the Patriarchal Church of the Holy Unmercenaries and as secretary of the Archdiocese. He issued the bilingual magazine Orthodox Approach and was responsible for the radio programmes of the Archdiocese. He was a member of the South African Institute of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. In April 1997, he was appointed Director of the Private Patriarchal Office. He was elected Bishop of Nigeria on 23rd September 1997, and was consecrated by His Beatitude on 24th November 1997. On October 27, 2004 he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.