Christianity in Nigeria

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Christians in Nigeria comprise between 40%[1] and 49.3%[2][3][4] of the population. Christians are dominant in the southern and central region in Nigeria. According to the Pew Research Center, Nigeria has the largest Christian population of any country in Africa, with more than 85 million persons in Nigeria belonging to the church with various denominations.[4] The numbers of Christians in Nigeria has grown from 21.4% in 1953 to 49.3% in 2010.[3]

Since the introduction of Sharia penal law in some of the Northern states, violence towards non-Muslims has increased in the North.[5] In spite of this, a 2015 study estimates some 600,000 believers in Christ rom a Muslim background living in the country.[6]

Denominations[edit]

Nigerian Christian bodies
Nigerian Interchurch
African initiated
Anglican
Baptist, Anabaptist, DC
Catholic
Holiness & Methodist
Lutheran
Pentecostal
Presbyterian & Reformed
Other Protestant

Roman Catholicism in Nigeria[edit]

Main article: Roman Catholicism in Nigeria

The Catholic Church has a large and growing following in Nigeria. In 2005, there were an estimated 19 million baptised Catholics in Nigeria.[7] The Archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church are: Abuja, Benin City, Calabar, Ibadan, Jos, Kaduna, Lagos, Onitsha, Owerri and Sokoto.[8] It has about 30 million members in Nigeria.[9] Cardinal Francis Arinze is a Roman Catholic Cardinal from Nigeria.[10]

Anglican Church of Nigeria[edit]

The ecclesiastical provinces of the Church of Nigeria are Lagos, Ibadan, Ondo, Edo, The Niger, Niger Delta, Owerri, Abuja, Kaduna and Jos.[11] Its primate is Nicholas Dikeriehi Orogodo Okoh.[11] The Church of Nigeria has about 17 million members.[12]

Nigerian Baptist Convention[edit]

The Nigerian Baptist Convention has about 6 million baptized members.[13]

Presbyterian Church of Nigeria[edit]

The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria has almost 4,000 000 members in thousands of congregations mainly in Nigeria, but has regional Presbytery in Togo as well as in Benin. It was founded in the mid-1800s, by ministers of the Church of Scotland. It is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ[edit]

The Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ was formed in Plateau State in 1916. The church has approximately 1,5 million members.

Nontrinitarian groups[edit]

Aba Nigeria Temple (LDS)

Within Nigeria, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a growing presence. As of January 1, 2012, the church claims more than 100,000 members in the country[14] and has established 315 congregations.[14]

In 1970, 87,000 Jehovah's Witnesses were present in Nigeria,[15] which grew to more than 360,000 by 2014.[16]

National Church of Nigeria, Abuja[edit]

The National Church of Nigeria

The National Church of Nigeria (previously known as the Nigerian Ecumenical Centre and officially known as the National Christian Centre) is a non-denominational church building of the Christian Association of Nigeria, the umbrella body of all of Nigeria's Christian churches. The church is located in Abuja.

Anti-Christian violence by Muslims[edit]

Since the introduction of Sharia penal law in some of the Northern states, violence towards non-Muslims has increased.[5] Relations with Muslims have been strained, killings of Christians have been rampant since at least 1999,[17] The 2010 Jos riots saw clashes between Muslim herders against Christian farmers near the volatile city of Jos, resulting in hundreds of casualties on both sides.[18] Officials estimated that 500 people were massacred in night-time raids by rampaging Muslim gangs.[19]

In March 2010 the clashes resulted in the death of at least 200 people, most of them Christians. In similar clashes in 2008, more than 300 were killed.[20] Also, on Christmas Day in 2011, the Islamist sect Boko Haram bombed a catholic church near the nation's capital Abuja killing over 30 people. The BBC reported that on Christmas Eve 2012 six Christians were killed and their church burned down. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack but the broadcaster drew comparisons with similar attacks carried out by Boko Haram at the same time in 2011.[21]

Christian population by state[edit]

Reigion State Population Christians % christian population total reigion
Nothern states 1- Sokoto 3,696,999 0.4 % 14,788 4.211%
2- Zamfara 3,259,846 0.4 % 13,039
3- Jigawa 4,348,649 0.8 % 34,789
4- Kano 9,383,682 1.1 % 103,220
5- Yobe 2,321,591 1 % 23,216
6-Katsina 5,792,578 0.4 % 23,170
7- Borno 4,151,193 2 % 83,024
8- Kebbi 3,238,628 0.4 % 12,954
9- Bauchi 4,676,465 1.6 % 74,823
10- Gombe 2,353,879 6.2 % 145,940
11- Niger 3,950,249 4 % 158,010
12- Kaduna 6,066,562 20 % 1,213,312
Central states 13- Kogi 3,278,487 15 % 491,773 29,665%
14- Abuja 1,405,201 20 % 281,040
15- Adamawa 3,168,101 10 % 315,810
16- Nasarawa 1,863,275 13.8 % 257,132
17- Taraba 2,300,736 13.7 % 315,201
18- Plateau 3,178,712 70 % 2,225,098
19- Benue 4,219,244 53.4 % 2,253,076
20 - Kwara 2,371,089 13,6% 322,468
Western States 21-Oyo 5,591,589 30 % 1,677,477 51,376%
22- Ogun 3,728,098 35 % 1,304,834
23- Osun 3,423,535 30 % 1,027,060
24- Lagos 9,013,534 35 % 3,154,737
25- Ondo 3,441,024 78,2 % 2,690,881
26- Ekiti 2,384,212 79 % 1,883,527
27- Edo 3,218,332 58,2 % 1,873,069
28- Delta 4,098,391 80 % 3,278,713
Southern States 29-Anambra 4,182,032 85 % 3,554,727 89,645%
30- Enugu 3,257,298 89% 2,898,995
31- Cross River 2,888,966 82 % 2,368,952
32- Ebonyi 2,173,501 90 % 1,956,151
33- Rivers 5,185,400 90.4% 4,687,602
34- Abia 2,833,999 91.3 % 2,587,441
35- Akwa Ibom 3,920,208 95,8 % 3,755,559
36- Bayelsa 1,703,358 90 % 1,533,022
37- Imo 3,934,899 90 % 3,541,409
total 140,003,542 37,2391 % 52,136,039
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See also[edit]

Statewise

References[edit]

  1. ^ CIA The World Factbook - Nigeria
  2. ^ https://www.nigeriabusinessfile.com/information/people/religion
  3. ^ a b Pew Forum on Religion. Features.pewforum.org (18 December 2012). Retrieved on 9 October 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Global Christianity: Regional Distribution of Christians". Pew Research Center. December 19, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2013. 
  5. ^ a b Ismene Zarifis (2002). "Human Rights Brief: Rights of Religious Minorities in Nigeria". 
  6. ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR 11: 14. Retrieved 20 November 2015. 
  7. ^ Craig Timberg, "Nigeria's Spiritual Rainmaker is Eyed at Vatican," Washington Poet, 17 April 2005, A1
  8. ^ "Current Dioceses in Nigeria (Catholic Hierarchy)". 
  9. ^ Timberg, Craig (2005-04-17). "Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
  10. ^ Carroll, Rory (2003-10-03). "The Guardian profile: Cardinal Francis Arinze". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
  11. ^ a b "Site of the Church of Nigeria". 
  12. ^ "Site of the Gazette ( Colorado Springs)". 
  13. ^ "Site of the Nigerian Baptist Convention". 
  14. ^ a b "LDS Newsroom- country information- Nigeria". Newsroom.lds.org. Retrieved 2012-09-19. 
  15. ^ "DER SPIEGEL 46/1972 - Dunkle Zeit". Spiegel.de. Retrieved 2010-05-16. 
  16. ^ 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. p. 184. 
  17. ^ Malkin, Michelle (2006-02-19). "Muslims Kill Christians In Nigeria". Michelle Malkin. Retrieved 2010-05-16. 
  18. ^ "Nigeria violence: Muslim-Christian clashes kill hundreds". CSMonitor.com. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-05-16. 
  19. ^ Clayton, Jonathan; Gledhill, Ruth (2010-03-08). "500 butchered in Nigeria killing fields". The Times (London). Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
  20. ^ "Machete-wielding rioters kill 200 in Nigeria - World news - Africa". msnbc.com. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-05-16. 
  21. ^ Nigeria gunmen 'kill at least six Christians' in Yobe, BBC News, 25 December 2012 [1]
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