John Augustus Otunba Payne (1839–1906) was a Nigerian sheriff, administrator and diarist who was a prominent personality in Lagos during the nineteenth century. He was a Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Lagos and he also served as a registrar in various colonial departments such as the Police Court, the Chief Magistrate's Court, the Court of Civil and Criminal Justice and the Petty Debt court. He produced an annual West African and Lagos Almanac which published some historical notes. He was also the convener of a forum called the Society for the Propagation of Religious Education.