Information on World
Christians
Nigeria
Bullet points
1.
Out of nearly 175 million people, 40% or 80
million are Christians. The rest are Muslim
2.
Most Christians are in South
3.
Christianity arrived in the late 19th
century, from European and American missionaries
4.
The nation has potential to be economically
strong, but over 60% live in poverty.
5.
The violence is between Muslims and Christians,
but has roots in colonialism
6.
Boko Haram, the main terrorist group means “Western
education is a sin”. They are based in Nigeria.
Nigeria is one of the most
important nations in Africa. With a
population estimated at 175 million, approximately one out of four Africans is
Nigerian. Based largely on petroleum, the nation has the second largest economy
on the continent, behind only South Africa. It is one of the top ten oil
producing nations, and, therefore a large trade partner with the West including
the United States. Although independent since 1960 – an early
date for most of the nations of Africa—Nigeria has retained cultural ties to
the United Kingdom, its former colonial power. English remains one of the
official languages.
Despite impressive oil revenues
many Nigerians remain impoverished. According to the US Government, over 62% of
the nation lives in extreme poverty. Corruption and graft are high. Typical of
African nations, a large number of tribes and ethnic groups contest for space
and power in Nigeria. Economic and cultural inequality is largely dependent on
historical affiliations and geographical location. Culturally there is a stark difference
between the southern port cities that prospered under the British and those
groups in the interior that were largely overlooked. This geographical divide
can be seen in religion.
In regards to religion, Nigeria is
evenly divided between Christians (48%) and Muslims (50%). Over 75 million Nigerians
are Muslim. Islam entered Nigeria from the north as early as the 9th
century, as a result of conquest from invading tribes and inter-regional trade. Over time it spread west and south throughout the
region, usurping local customs as it developed strong cultural ties.
Today the majority of Muslims in
Nigeria reside in the north where economic and cultural inequality is greater.
Partially as a result of long held hostilities between northern and southern
tribes, Islam has become more polemical. Nine
northern states have recently incorporated Sharia Law into their legal system. The terrorist group Boko Haram, which means, “Western
Education is a sin”, was founded and is located in Borno, the northwestern most
state.
Countering this are the more than
80 million Nigerian Christians of which nearly 18 million or 40% are Roman Catholic.
The remainder is Protestant or adherents of new indigenous denominations such
as the African Church. Because
Christianity was introduced by colonial missionaries
arriving within the past century, it has
been viewed by its critics as imported and no part of the traditional African
experience. However, the church has thrived as nearly every denomination is
present in the country, with Baptist and Anglican among the largest. Lutherans
though on their 100th year remain a relatively small denomination,
although they are expanding and are building a seminary.
Currently there is much strife in
Nigeria. The reasons are complex but seem to be largely based on past colonial
associations and an historical animosity between ethnic groups. Politics and
religion have become the interwoven into these old arguments that occur
throughout the region. Africa, as Nigeria shows, is at a crossroads between
Islam in the North and Christianity in the South. It is also struggling as a
continent to recognize its place in the world, and to that end, determining if
Westernization provides the best path for success, or whether it needs to shed
the cultural traits of its past colonial oppressors. African Christianity then
for some is seen as vital and a unifying force, while for others it remains a
symbol of the cultural West.
