the mosque
National Church of Nigeria
the church
Abuja National Mosque
The Church and the Mosque face each other across Independence Avenue and Constitution Avenue in the national capital, Abuja[1]

Religion in Nigeria is diverse.[2][3] The country is home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim populations, simultaneously.[4] Reliable recent statistics do not exist; however, Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Muslims, who live mostly in the north, and Christians, who live mostly in the south. Indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, have been declining for decades and been replaced by Christianity or Islam. The Christian share of Nigeria's population is also now on the decline, due to a lower fertility rate relative to the Muslim population in the country.[5]

Most Nigerian Christians are Protestant (broadly defined), though about a quarter are Catholic.[6][7] The majority of Nigerian Muslims are either Sunni or non-denominational Muslims. Many Sunni Muslims are members of Sufi brotherhoods or Tariqa. Most Sufis follow the Qadiriyya, Tijaniyyah or Mouride movement. A significant Shia minority also exists (see Shia in Nigeria). There are also Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya minorities. [8] In terms of Nigeria's major ethnic groups' religious affiliations, the Hausa ethnic group in the north is virtually Muslim,[9] the Yorubas in the West are predominantly Muslim with a significant minority of Christians and a few followers of traditional religions, while the Igbos of the east and the Ijaw in the south are almost entirely Christians with a few practitioners of traditional religions.[10] The Middle Belt of Nigeria contains the most of the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria and they are mostly Christians and Christian converts, as well as members of traditional religions with few Muslim converts.[11][12]

Nigeria is officially a secular state with no official state religion. Article 10 of the Constitution states that “The Government of the Federation or a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.” [13] However, twelve Muslim-majority northern states have incorporated Sharia courts into their legal systems with the power and jurisdiction of these courts waxing and waning over the past two decades.[14] In some of these states, sharia courts are optional arbitration courts for personal status issues whereas, in others, Sharia has effectively replaced the formerly secular state level legal system in both civil and criminal contexts. This has brought controversy due to its discriminatory practices towards religious and sexual minorities.[15][16][17] Northern Nigeria has also been the site of ongoing Islamist insurgency which has led to the death and displacement of tens of thousands of people.[18]

Religious demographics

The 1963 Nigerian census, the last that asked about religion, found that about 47.2% of the population was Muslim, 34.3% Christian, and 18.5% other.[19]

Nigerian states that implement some form of sharia law (in green)

Figures in the most recent edition of The World Christian Encyclopedia (Johnson and Zurlo 2020) draw on figures assembled and updated as part of the World Christian Database (WCD); these put those who identify as Christians at 46.3%, and Muslims at 46.2 and ‘ethnic religions’ at 7.2%. WCD figures predict that both Muslims and Christians will continue to grow as a proportion of the population through to 2050. Their projections predict Christians at that point will make up on 48% of the population and Muslims at 48.7%, both growing at the expense of ethnic religions, down to 2.9% of the population. Hsu et al. (2008) found that the WCD appears to overestimate Christian identification and cautioned against what seems to be uncritical acceptance of figures given by religious groups of their membership. The criticisms offered by Hsu et Al (2008) have been supported by evidence found by Nigeria Mckinnon (2020), which demonstrated that the WCD had substantially overestimated the Anglican proportion of the population.[20]

According to a 2018 estimate in The World Factbook by the CIA, the population is estimated to be 53.5% Muslim, 45.9% Christian (10.6% Roman Catholic and 35.3% protestant and other Christian), and 0.6% as other.[21] In a 2019 report released by Pew Research Center in 2015, the Muslim population was estimated to be 50% while the Christian population was estimated to be 48.1%.[22] The Pew Forum in a 2010 report compared reports from several sources.[23] In a 2020 estimate released by Pew Research Center, the Muslim population was estimated to be 51.1% while the Christian population was estimated to be 46.9% while the remaining 2% was other.[24][25] The 2008 MEASURE Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) found 53% Muslim, 45% Christian, and 2% other; the 2008 Afrobarometer poll found 49% Christian, 50% Muslim, and 1% other; Pew's own survey found 52% Muslim, 46% Christian, and 1% other.[23][6][26]

Islam

The mosque during Harmattan

Nigeria has one of the largest Muslim populations in Africa.[27] In Nigeria, about 52 percent of the population is Muslim, The Muslim population in Nigeria continues to grow. Estimates suggest 80-85 million Nigerians identify as Muslim (roughly 50% of the total population), of which the majority are probably Sunni (60 million), though this is not a unified identity and includes a wide variety of different viewpoints.[28] For example, members of Sufi orders, members of the Jama‘atul Izalatul Bid’ah Wa’ikhamatul Sunnah (or Izala) movement, and members of Boko Haram might all identify as Sunni, but the Izala and Boko Haram movements have had strong anti-Sufi components.[29][30] Estimates also propose that about 4-10 million Nigerians are Shi’a, mostly based in Sokoto, and there is also a significant Lebanese Shi’a diaspora.[31][32] In Nigeria, the most prominent existing Sufi orders are the Tijaniyya and Qadiriyya,[33] and a 2012 Pew Research Center survey showed 37% of Nigerians identify with Sufi orders (19% identified specifically as Tijaniyya and 9% as Qadiriyya).[34] The majority of the Muslim population in Nigeria live in the Northern, South western and Central states.[28] Islam was introduced to northern and central Nigeria in the Middle Ages as early as the 11th century and was well established in the major capitals of the region by the 16th century, spreading into the countryside and toward the Middle Belt uplands.[35][36] Shehu Usman dan Fodio established a government in Northern Nigeria based on Islam before the advent of European colonialism.[37] The British colonial government therefore established indirect rule in Northern Nigeria based on the structure of this government. Islam also came to South Western Yoruba-speaking areas during the time of Mansa Musa's Mali Empire.[38]

The vast majority of Muslims in Nigeria are Sunni belonging to the Maliki school of jurisprudence; however, a sizeable minority also belong to the Shafi’i madhhab.[39] Many Sunni Muslims are members of Sufi brotherhoods. Most Sufis follow the Kadiriyya, Tijaniyya or Mouride movements. Nigerian Islam has become heterogenous with the springing up of many Islamic sects. Notable examples are the Izala movement,[40][41] the Shia movement, and many local Islamic sects that have limited expansion.

Shia

The Shia Muslims of Nigeria are primarily located in Sokoto State.[42][43] Shia Muslims make up between two and four million of Nigeria's population.[44][45] Ibrahim Zakzaky introduced many Nigerians to Shia Islam. The headquarter of Shia is Zaria where the leader lives with his family.[46] The Shia Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) was banned in Nigeria in 2019.[47]

Sufi

Some Nigerian Muslims emphasize asceticism and mysticism and form Sufi groups called tariqas, orders, or brotherhoods. They commonly preach peaceful co-existence and do not sympathize with Islamic extremism.[48] Most Nigerian Sufis follow the Qadiriyya, Tijaniyyah or Mouride movement.[49][50]

Ahmadiyya

The Ahmadiyya movement established itself in Nigeria in 1916,[51][52] and make up approximately 3% of the Muslim population.[53] There are numerous Ahmadiyya centres in Nigeria including the Baitur-Raheem Mosque in Ibadan inaugurated in 2008,[54] the Mubarak Mosque in Abuja, which is the last Ahmadiyya mosque, built in the first century of the Ahmadiyya Caliphate.[55] Ahmadiyyas have also established a weekly newspaper called "The Truth" which is the first Muslim newspaper in the country.[56]

Quraniyoon

The Kala Kato are a Nigerian group of Quranists. Their name means "a mere man said it" referring to the narrators of the sayings of Muhammad. The Kalo Kato rely entirely on the Quran and they are found among mostly lower-class communities across northern Nigeria.[8]

Boko Haram and Darul Islam

Islam in Nigeria has witnessed a rise in the numbers of Islamic extremism notably among them, the Boko Haram, Maitatsine, Darul Islam[57][58] among others.

These sects have sometimes resorted to the use of violence in a bid to realizing their ambitions on the wider Islamic and Nigerian populations as a whole.[59][60]

The rise of these radical movements has been attributed partly to the poor socio economic infrastructures and poor governance in Nigeria.[61] Poverty has been seen as the major catalyst leading to the rapid increase in the membership of these religious extremist groups.[62] The rise of these sects has also been linked to the increase and aiding of religious extremist by politicians for their selfish ambitions. In recent times, there has been break out of religious crises in the ancient city of Kano with scores of Christians dead and their properties destroyed.[63]

During the 1980s, religious riots occurred in and around the five cities of Kano in 1980, Kaduna in 1982, Bulum-Ketu in 1982, Jimeta in 1984 and Gombe in 1985. These riots were caused by the migration of the rural poor into urban towns during the dry seasons. An offshoot of Islam called the ‘Yan Tatsine’ violently rebelled against the authorities and non-members. These radical Muslims were inspired by Alhaji Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine. He was a Cameroonian preacher who slammed the government, something which led to his arrest in Nigeria in 1975, yet by 1972 many people followed him across society, ranging from the elite to Koranic students called almajiral or gardawa and unemployed migrants. Maitatsine and his followers became separate from orthodox Islam, condemning the corruption of the religious and secular elites and the wealthy upper classes’ consumption of Western goods during the petrol boom in 1974–81.[64] The Boko Haram movement has been connected to the Maitatsine movement. They want to implement Sharia law across the whole of Nigeria.[65]

Christianity

The history of Christianity in Nigeria can be traced back to the 15th century, when the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive on the shores of the region via the Atlantic. The Portuguese brought Catholic missionaries with them but failed to successfully plant the seed of Christianity. It can be argued that the actual intent behind their voyage was more in the interest of slave business than it was for missionary goals and objectives. Most of the Portuguese slave traders took Nigerian slaves to be resold in the Americas and parts of Europe. Hence, they were not fully committed to missionary work. In the 17th century, attempts were again made to establish Christianity in the region through more Catholic missionaries.[66]

The National Church of Nigeria

Nigeria has the largest Christian population in Africa according to Pew Research Center and it has the sixth largest Christian population in the world although the Christians in Nigeria are roughly about 40%-49.3% of the country's population.[67][68][69] According to a 2011 Pew report, over 80 million Nigerians are Christians. Among Christians, about a quarter are Catholic, three quarters are Protestant, and about 750,000 belong to other Christian denominations and a few of them are Orthodox Christians.[70][21] The majority of Nigeria’s approximately 70 million Christians are either Catholic (at least 18.9 million) or Anglican (18 million), but a diverse group of Protestant churches also claim significant members, including Baptists (the Nigerian Baptist Convention claims 6 million worshipping members), Presbyterians, Assemblies of God, Methodists, the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ, and what are known as the Aladura churches (Pentecostal and Spiritualist independent churches which emerged out of the Anglican Church during colonialism).[71]

The leading Protestant churches in the country are the Church of Nigeria of the Anglican Communion, The African Church, the Assemblies of God Church, the Nigerian Baptist Convention[72] and The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations.[73] The Yoruba area contains a large Anglican population, while Igboland is mainly Anglican and Catholic and the Edo area is predominantly Assemblies of God, which was introduced into Nigeria by Augustus Asonye and his associates at Old Umuahia.[74]

The Nigerian Baptist Convention claims about three million baptized members.[75]

From the 1990s to the 2000s, there was significant growth in Protestant churches, including the Redeemed Christian Church of God,[76] Living Faith Church[77] (Winners' Chapel), Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) (the first Aladura Movement in Nigeria),[78] Deeper Christian Life Ministry,[79] Evangelical Church Winning All,[80] Mountain of Fire and Miracles,[81] Christ Embassy,[82] Common Wealth of Zion Assembly,[83] Aladura Church[84] (indigenous Christian churches being especially strong in the Yoruba and Igbo areas), and of evangelical churches in general. Also the Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement [85] was formed during this period with branches all over Nigeria. These churches have spilled over into adjacent and southern areas of the middle belt. Denominations like the Seventh-day Adventist also exist.[86]

There are over 300,000 Early Pentecostal Apostolic Churches parishes in Nigeria having about 4.2 million adherents. Such denominations in this group are:[87]

  1. The Christ Apostolic Church,
  2. The Apostolic Church,
  3. The Celestial Church,
  4. The Cherubim and Seraphim Church et cetera.

There are also about 380,000 New Apostolic Church parishes constituting about 6.5 million believers|New Apostolic Christians in Nigeria include: 1) The Redeemed Church, 4) Deeper Life Church, 5) Overcomers' Ministries and other new springs. By and large, Protestantism particularly the Pentecostals, Apostolic and evangelicals constitute the major Christian population of Nigeria from the late 1990s to the present.[88]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) announced creation of new Owerri mission in Nigeria in 2016.[89]

Also, Nigerian pastors are rumored to be great in wealth.[90]

Catholicism

The Archdioceses of the Catholic Church are: Abuja, Onitsha, Jos, Benin City, Calabar, Ibadan, Lagos, and Owerri.[91] It has about 19 million members in Nigeria in 2005.[92] Cardinal Francis Arinze is a Catholic cardinal from Nigeria.[93] In 2020, the pope appointed a Nigerian professor, Kokunre A. Agbontaen-Eghafona, to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) in the Vatican.[94][95]

Anglicanism

The ecclesiastical provinces of the Church of Nigeria are:

Lagos, Ibadan, Ondo, Bendel, The Niger, Niger Delta, Owerri, Abuja, Kaduna and Jos.[96] Its primate is Nicholas Okoh.[96] The Church of Nigeria has about 17 million members.[97]

Christian distribution

The Holy Ghost depicted on a relief in Onitsha

The largest ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Igbo. Before the British colonization (1884), there were no inter-religious conflicts, Nigeria in its present borders did not exist as a single nation and the Muslim populations of northern Nigeria lived peacefully in mutual tolerance with the local animist and even Christian minorities. The British wanted to procure certain products, such as oil and palm nuts, and to introduce cotton cultivation, and they built railroads through the country with local labor starting in 1893. They administered the country indirectly, strengthening local elites when they were able to represent power.[98]

The bulk of religious violence exists mainly in impoverished urban centers in the northern regions of the country, although coastal centers in the south are also prone to instances of political violence based on religious beliefs, as this is where the non-Hausa Christian minorities reside that are disfavored by the predominantly Hausa Muslim government.[99] Non-Hausa groups residing in southern regions of Nigeria are marginalized by the republic, treated as second-class citizens, and denied their entitlements.[100] The Zango Kataf riot of 1992 is one example of political violence in the south; when the local government announced markets would be moved out of southern Zango, riots erupted and thousands of people were killed as this was yet another instance of governmental discrimination that displaced the predominantly Christian locals.[101]

The majority of Christians now are found in the south east, South-South, south west and Middle-belt region.[102] It is estimated that around half the Nigerian population today are Muslim, while just under half are Christian.[103] In northern urban centers, however, about 95% of the population is Muslim.[103]

An increasing number of mission stations and mission bookstores, along with churches serving southern enclaves and northern Christians in the northern cities and larger towns, are found in the Muslim north. Christianity in Yoruba area traditionally has been Protestant and Anglican, currently Protestant Pentecostal/evangelicals, whereas Igboland has always been the area of greatest activity by the Roman Catholic Church with current infusions of Protestantism.[104][105] Other denominations abounded as well.[106]

Presbyterians arrived in the late 17th century in the Ibibio, Annang and Efik land and the Niger Delta area and had missions in the middle belt as well.[107] The works of the Presbyterian Church in Calabar from Scotland by missionaries like Rev Hope M. Waddell, who arrived in Calabar 10 April 1846, in the 19th century and that of Mary Slessor of Calabar are examples. Small missionary movements were allowed to start up, generally in the 1920s, after the middle belt was considered pacified. Each denomination set up rural networks by providing schooling and health facilities. Most such facilities remained in 1990, although in many cases schools had been taken over by the local state government in order to standardize curricula and indigenize the teaching staff.[108]

Pentecostals arrived mostly as indigenous workers in the post-independence period, and in the 1980s, Evangelical and Apostolic Pentecostalism were spreading rapidly throughout the south western and middle belt, having major success in hitherto Roman Catholic and Protestant towns of the south as well . There were also breakaway, or Africanized churches, that blended traditional Christian symbols with indigenous symbols. Among these was the Aladura (prayer) movement that was spreading rapidly throughout Yoruba land and into the non-Muslim middle belt areas.[109]

Missionary work

Apart from Benin and Warri, which had come in contact with Christianity through the Portuguese as early as the 15th century, most missionaries arrived by sea in the 19th century. As with other areas in African continent, Roman Catholics and Anglicans each tended to establish areas of hegemony in southern Nigeria.[110] After World War I, smaller denominations such as the Church of the Brethren (as Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria), Seventh-day Adventists and others worked in interstitial areas, trying not to compete. Although less well-known, African-American churches entered the missionary field in the 19th century and created contacts with Nigeria that lasted well into the colonial period. Also, during this period, Jehovah's Witnesses began their missionary work in Nigeria and soon spread throughout the country[111][112]

Offshoots of European denominations

African churches were founded by small groups breaking off from the European denominations, especially in Yorubaland, where such independence movements started as early as the early 19th century—influenced by American and British missionaries in early 1900s and stimulated by the great revival of the 1930s. They were for the most part ritually and doctrinally identical to the parent church, although more African music, and later dance and dressage/vesture, entered and mixed with the imported church services. Notable among the new springs of 1930 were such Protestant Pentecostals as the Christ Apostolic Church—an offshoot of US-based Faith Tabernacle which swept through the Western Region and complemented by the likes of the Celestial Church and the Cherubim and Seraphim Church which were indigenous autonomous springs. A number of indigenous denominations used Biblical references to support polygamy.

With political independence came African priests in both Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations. Rituals and forms of worship were strictly those of the home country of the original missionaries. By the 1980s, African music and even dancing were being introduced quietly into western oriented church services, albeit altered to fit into rituals of Euro-American origin. Southern Christians living in the north, especially in larger cities, had congregations and churches founded as early as the 1920s.

Even medium-sized towns (20,000 persons or more) with an established southern enclave had local churches, especially in the middle belt, where both major religions had a strong foothold. The exodus of Igbo from the north in the late 1960s left Roman Catholic churches poorly attended. By the 1980s adherents were back in even greater numbers, and a number of new churches had been built. The middle belt and the west and southwest of Nigeria remain the hold of Protestants (Pentecostal, evangelical and indigenous spring of Christian denominations).

Combination with traditional practices

The Aladura, like several other breakaway churches, stress healing and fulfillment of life goals for oneself and one's family. African beliefs that sorcery and witchcraft are malevolent forces against which protection is required are accepted; rituals are warm and emotional, stressing personal involvement and acceptance of spirit possession. Theology is biblical, but some sects add costumed processions and some accept polygyny. However Christianity cannot be done with traditional practices because Christianity is the belief in the existence of the Holy Trinity (The father, the son and the Holy Spirit) while African Traditional Religion deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and so these two religions are entirely different from each other with different scope and vision so they cannot both be practiced together because that would be against the rules of either, so a mixture of the both of them neither Christianity nor African Traditional Religion.

Social class and religion

Major congregations of the larger Anglican and Roman Catholic missions represented elite families of their respective areas, although each of these churches had members from all levels and many quite humble church buildings. Nevertheless, a wedding in the Anglican cathedral in Lagos was usually a gathering of the elite of the entire country, and of Lagos and Yorubaland in particular. Such families had connections to their churches going back to the 19th century and were generally not attracted to the breakaway churches. All major urban centers, all universities, and the new capital of Abuja had areas set aside for the major religions to build churches and mosques and for burial grounds.

Traditional beliefs

Alongside the main religious sect is the hundreds of traditional spiritualities of various Nigerian ethnic groups, that, without contradicting civil law manages to also govern ethics and morality amongst much of the population.

Traditional religion among the Yoruba People

Temple Osun Osogbo, Nigeria
Ifa temple, Ile-Ife

Each of the hundreds of ethnic groups in Nigeria have traditional belief systems that still have millions of follows throughout the country. Among the Yoruba, the traditional Yoruba belief system, known as centers around the belief in a Supreme being known as Olodumare, a complex system of divination known as Ifa, as well as deities associated with nature known as orisha. Within the cities and subethnic groups of Yorubaland, traditions differ widely, but all are closely connected with nature, music, and historical roots of various towns. A more reserved way of life expresses a theology that links local beliefs to a centrally placed government and its sovereignty over the neighborhood or communities through the monarch, the king.[113]

Practices

In addition to ensuring access to, and the continual fertility of, both land and people, seasonal festivals act as a spectacle for "tourism" contributing to regional productivity. Meanwhile, the practices are not the same; they have some similarities and differences. The acts in a given traditional carnival is dependent on the type of gods or goddesses to be worshiped. While traditional festivals usually attracts tourists, fun seekers, and community people, it is also good to note that there are certain forbidden acts which prevent people from doing certain things, probably before and during the festivals.

"Society in general has more gradually and selectively expanded to accommodate new influences, it is fairly certain that they will continue to assert their distinctive cultural identity in creative and often ingenious ways".[114]

Other religions

Baháʼí Faith

After an isolated presence in the late 1920s,[115] the Baháʼí Faith in Nigeria begins with pioneering Baháʼís coming to Sub-Saharan West Africa in the 1950s especially following the efforts of Enoch Olinga who directly and indirectly affected the growth of the religion in Nigeria.[116] Following growth across West Africa a regional National Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1956.[117] As the community multiplied across cities and became diverse in its engagements it elected its own National Spiritual Assembly by 1979[118] and Operation World estimated 1000 Baháʼís in 2001[119] though the Association of Religion Data Archives (relying mostly on the World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 34,000 Baháʼís in 2005.[120][121]

Hinduism

Hinduism spread to Nigeria mainly by immigration of Hindus from India and of Hare Krishna Missionaries. Many Nigerians have converted to Hinduism mainly due to efforts of ISKCON Missionaries. ISKCON has inaugurated the Vedic Welfare Complex in Apapa.[122]

Altogether including Nigerians of Indian origin and NRIs there are 250,000 Hindus in Nigeria. Most of them live in Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria.[121]

Chrislam

Chrislam is a blend of Christianity and Islam that takes practices from both the Bible and the Quran. It hopes to quell religious feuds among Nigerians.[123] The movement was pioneered by the Yoruba people in south-west Nigeria, as it is common to find (within one family) Christians and Muslims living happily together and celebrating each other's religious festivals.

The Grail Movement

Nigeria has become an African hub for the Grail Movement, inspired by the work of Abd-ru-shin, principally In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message.[124]

The Grail Movement is not an organisation in the usual legal sense, but a collective term for all kinds of endeavours to spread the knowledge of the Grail Message and to utilise it in all walks of life.

The associating of adherents of the Grail Message creates the foundation and the outer setting for the holding of hours for the joint worship of God (Hours of Worship) and Grail Festivals.

Facilitating such hours for adherents and readers of the Grail Message is - besides the dissemination of the Grail Message - one of the main concerns of the international Grail Movement.[125] The ideative field of activity with its Hours of Worship and Grail Festivals, lecture events, readings, discussion evenings, seminars, events for children and young people, art exhibitions, concerts and more besides, comprises the actual activity of the Movement.

The Reformed Ogboni Fraternity

A fraternity incorporating references and insignia from the original Ogboni, is based on ancient rites, usages and customs. Established in 1914 by the Ven. Archdeacon T. A. J. Ogunbiyi.[126] Membership is open to all adults who embrace a non-idolatrous faith in God. The fraternity is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. In 1996 it had about 710 conclaves/Lodges or Iledi in Nigeria and overseas.[127][128]

Judaism

Atheism

This section is an excerpt from Irreligion in Nigeria.[edit]
This article is part of a series in
Culture of Nigeria
Culture of Nigeria
Society
Topics
Symbols
Religion and folklore
Art
Cuisine
Festivals
Literature

Irreligion in Nigeria is measured at less than one percent of the population.[129] As in many parts of Africa, there is a great amount of stigma attached to being an atheist in addition to institutionalized discrimination that leads to treatment as "second-class citizens."[130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138]

A 2010 poll by Pew Research Center showed that 51% of Nigerian Muslims agree with the death penalty for leaving Islam.[139] In some parts of Nigeria, there are even anti-blasphemy laws.[140]

In 2017, the Humanist Association of Nigeria gained formal government recognition after a 17-year struggle.[141] This was followed by recognition of the Atheist Society of Nigeria, the Northern Nigerian Humanist Association and the Nigerian Secular Society.[142]

Inter-religious conflict

While religious conflict is not new in Nigeria's borders, in the 1980s, serious outbreaks of violence between Christians and Muslims, and between the latter and the government occurred, mainly in the North. Subsequent decades have seen the problem worsen, and insurgencies and new conflicts arise.

Several administrations at the federal level have made efforts to counter this, which are still ongoing.

Christians complain of widespread persecution, especially in the north and Middle Belt. In a speech in the European Parliament, in October 2022, bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, compared the situation of Christians in his country to "nothing short of a Jihad clothed in many names: terrorism, kidnappings, killer herdsmen, banditry, other militia groups" and called on the international community to abandon what he termed a "conspiracy of silence" on the subject.[143]

Catholic Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso sums up the situation facing Christians in the following way. "For the past 14 years the nation has been grappling with Boko Haram, mostly in the northeast. While we were grappling with that, we had the issue of banditry in the northwest. And while we were grappling with this, we had the issue of kidnappings for ransom, which is becoming more widespread. And while grappling with this we have the old conflict with the Fulani herders."[144]

Freedom of Religion

In 2020, research stated that Nigeria was one of the five most populous countries with the highest levels of social hostilities involving religion.[145]

In 2022, Freedom House rated Nigeria’s religious freedom as 1 out of 4.[146]

Nigeria is number six on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.[147] In 2022, the country was ranked number seven.

By state

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division.

  1. ↑ "Abuja City". Federal Capital Territory website. Federal Capital Territory. Archived from the original on 24 July 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
  2. ↑ "The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov.
  3. ↑ "Nigerian Constitution". Nigeria Law. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. ↑ McKinnon, Andrew (2021). "Christians, Muslims and Traditional Worshippers in Nigeria: Estimating the Relative Proportions from Eleven Nationally Representative Social Surveys". Review of Religious Research. 63 (2): 303–315. doi:10.1007/s13644-021-00450-5. hdl:2164/16008. S2CID 233821494. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population" (PDF). 19 December 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 Nigeria Research Network (NRN) (1 March 2013). Islamic Actors and Interfaith Relations in Northern Nigeria (Report). Oxford: Nigeria Research Network (NRN).
  9. ↑ Apindi, Cyprine (8 October 2022). "Hausa culture and traditions in Nigeria: Top facts to know". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Nigeria: a secular or multi religious state - 2". Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "The Middle Belt: History and politics". Nasarawastate.org. 29 November 2004. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "The Middle Belt Movement and the Formation of Christian Consciousness in Colonial Northern Nigeria. -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  13. ↑ "Nigerian Constitution". Nigeria Law. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  14. ↑ "Sharia implementation in northern Nigeria after 15 years | Oxford Department of International Development". www.qeh.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  15. ↑ "Nigerian singer sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano state". BBC News. 10 August 2020. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  16. ↑ Owobi Angrew, Tiptoeing Through A Constitutional Minefield: The Great Sharia Controversy in Nigeria, Journal of African Law, Vol 48, No 2, 2002.
  17. ↑ "Kano Seeks Supremacy of Sharia Over Constitution". wwrn.org. 17 March 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  18. ↑ The Christian Science Monitor (13 February 2015). "Boko Haram escalates battle with bold move into Chad". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015.
  19. ↑ Ostien, Philip (1 January 2012). Percentages by Religion of the 1952 and 1963 Populations of Nigeria's Present 36 States (Report). Oxford: Nigeria Research Network (NRN), Oxford Department of International Development. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  20. ↑ McKinnon, Andrew (2021). "Christians, Muslims and Traditional Worshippers in Nigeria: Estimating the Relative Proportions from Eleven Nationally Representative Social Surveys". Review of Religious Research. 63 (2): 303–315. doi:10.1007/s13644-021-00450-5. hdl:2164/16008. S2CID 233821494.
  21. 1 2 "Nigeria". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  22. ↑ "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations". Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  23. 1 2 Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Appendix B (PDF). Pew Forum. 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.. Pew's own survey info contradicts other Pew reports so there may be an error
  24. ↑ "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations". Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  25. ↑ NW, 1615 L. St; Suite 800Washington; Inquiries, DC 20036USA202-419-4300 | Main202-857-8562 | Fax202-419-4372 | Media. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved 14 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ "Future of the World Muslim Population" (web). 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mapping The Global Muslim Population, October 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  28. 1 2 "Islam in Nigeria". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  29. ↑ "National Counterterrorism Center | Groups". www.dni.gov. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  30. ↑ "Nigeria". United States Department of State. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  31. ↑ "Shia's in Africa". World Shia Muslims Population. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  32. ↑ "HISTORY OF ISLAM IN NIGERIA". School Software Pro. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  33. ↑ Gari, Hussein. "Islamic Trends in Northern Nigeria: Sufism, Salafism and Shiism". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  34. ↑ "Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  35. ↑ "Islam in Nigeria". African Studies Centre Leiden. 15 November 2002. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  36. ↑ "Nigeria - Islam". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  37. ↑ Quintana, Maria (11 January 2010). "Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817) •". Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  38. ↑ Ottuh, POO; Ottuh, JA; Aitufe, VO (13 June 2014). "Christian – Muslim Relations in Nigeria: The Problems and Prospects". AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities. 3 (2): 46. doi:10.4314/ijah.v3i2.4. ISSN 2227-5452.
  39. ↑ MOTIN, A. RASHID; Moten, A. Rashid (1987). "Political Dynamism of Islam in Nigeria". Islamic Studies. 26 (2): 179–189. ISSN 0578-8072. JSTOR 20839826.
  40. ↑ "nigerian Izala movement". Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  41. ↑ "Islam Nigeria". Sharia-in-africa.net. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  42. ↑ "Nigerian Shia base knocked down". BBC News. 1 August 2007. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  43. ↑ "Attack on Shi'as in Nigeria | Jafariya News Network". Jafariyanews.com. 30 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  44. ↑ Miller, Tracy, ed. (October 2009). Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  45. ↑ Nigeria: 'No Settlement With Iran Yet' Archived 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Paul Ohia, allAfrica - This Day, 16 November 2010.
  46. ↑ "Why Nigeria has banned pro-Iranian Muslim group". BBC News. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  47. ↑ "Persecution of the Shia Islamic Movement of Nigeria – UAB Institute for Human Rights Blog". sites.uab.edu. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  48. ↑ "Islamic leadership across Africa: From Nigeria's Shekau to Mali's Imam Dicko". The Africa Report.com. 3 December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  49. ↑ "Sufism | Definition, History, Beliefs, Significance, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  50. ↑ Umar, Muhammad S. (1 January 1999). "Sufism and its Opponents in Nigeria: The Doctrinal and Intellectual Aspects". In De Jong, I.J.F.; Radtke, Bernd (eds.). Islamic Mysticism Contested. Brill. pp. 357–385. doi:10.1163/9789004452725_022. ISBN 978-90-04-45272-5. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  51. ↑ Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosques Around the World, p. 95
  52. ↑ "Ahmadiyya Movement in Nigeria, The". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  53. ↑ "The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. 9 August 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  54. ↑ http://www.alislam.org Archived 8 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine report of Khalifatul Masih V’s West African tour
  55. ↑ Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosques Around the World, p. 34
  56. ↑ Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosques Around the World, p. 99
  57. ↑ "Niger begins demolition of sect's enclave". Nigeria70.com. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  58. ↑ "Darul-Islam: Rise and fall of an empire". Thenationonlineng.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  59. ↑ Boston, 677 Huntington Avenue; Ma 02115 +1495‑1000 (16 June 2021). "VIEWPOINT Addressing the Boko Haram-Induced Mental Health Burden in Nigeria". Health and Human Rights Journal. Retrieved 10 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  60. ↑ Egodi Uchendu. "Radical Islam in the Lake Chad Basin, 1805-2009: From the Jihad to Boko Haram". Egodiuchendu.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  61. ↑ "Islamic Fundamentalism and Sectarian Violence: The "Maitatsine" and "Boko Haram" Crises in Northern Nigeria" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  62. ↑ "Borno bolsters security after attacks". Archived from the original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  63. ↑ "Nigeria: 30 dead following religious riots in Kano - Nigeria". ReliefWeb. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  64. ↑ Paul M. Lubeck, "Islamic Protest under Semi-Capitalism: ‘ Yan Tatsine Explained", Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, 55.4, (1985) 369-389, pp. 369–370
  65. ↑ Toni Johnson, "Boko Haram", Council on Foreign Relations, 31 August 2011, < http://www.cfr.org/africa/boko-haram/p25739 Archived 25 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine> [accessed on 1/11/2011]
  66. ↑ "6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa – History Textbook". Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  67. ↑ Ojo, Matthews A. (July 1995). "The Charismatic Movement in Nigeria Today". International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 19 (3): 114–118. doi:10.1177/239693939501900306. ISSN 0272-6122. S2CID 149246793.
  68. ↑ Simwa, Adrianna (5 September 2022). "Most populated religion in Nigeria: is it Christianity or Islam?". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  69. ↑ Diamant, Jeff. "The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  70. ↑ "Regional Distribution of Christians". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 19 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  71. ↑ "Christianity in Nigeria". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  72. ↑ "Nigerian Baptist Convention – Entering Into Newness through Love and Unity". Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  73. ↑ "Home - The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations - SCOAN - Prophet T.B. Joshua (General Overseer)". www.scoan.org. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  74. ↑ "About Us". Assemblies of God Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  75. ↑ "Site of the Nigerian Baptist Convention". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
  76. ↑ "RCCG – The Official Website Of The Redeemed Christian Church of God". Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  77. ↑ "Living Faith Church Worldwide - Official Website". faithtabernacle.org.ng. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  78. ↑ "Home - First Pentecostal Church | Christ Apostolic Church". Christ Apostolic Church Nigeria and Overseas. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  79. ↑ "Deeper Christian Life Ministry – …your spiritual welfare is our concern". Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  80. ↑ "ECWA Website – Official Website of ECWA". Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  81. ↑ "Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries | Deliverance, Spiritual Warfare and Prayers". www.mountainoffire.org. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  82. ↑ "Christ Embassy | Giving your life a meaning". Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  83. ↑ "The Commonwealth Of Zion Assembly – The Wealthy Place". Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  84. ↑ Ray, Benjamin C. (1993). "Aladura Christianity: A Yoruba Religion". Journal of Religion in Africa. 23 (3): 266–291. doi:10.1163/157006693X00148. JSTOR 1581109.
  85. ↑ "Home". vowtelevision.com.
  86. ↑ Hackett, Rosalind I. J. (1 January 1988). "The Academic Study of Religion in Nigeria". Religion. 18 (1): 37–46. doi:10.1016/S0048-721X(88)80017-4. ISSN 0048-721X.
  87. ↑ "Nigeria Church Records/Pentecostal Church Records". www.familysearch.org. FamilySearch. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  88. ↑ "Nigeria Church Records". www.familysearch.org. FamilySearch. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  89. ↑ "Mormon Church announces in missions in Vietnam and Africa". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  90. ↑ "Top 10 richest pastors in Nigeria, source of wealth and net worth". NewsWireNGR. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  91. ↑ "Current Dioceses in Nigeria (Catholic Hierarchy)". Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  92. ↑ Timberg, Craig (17 April 2005). "Washington Post". Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  93. ↑ Carroll, Rory (3 October 2003). "The Guardian on Arinze". London. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  94. ↑ "Pope Francis Appoints Nigerian into Vatican Academy". THISDAYLIVE. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  95. ↑ "Catholicism in Nigeria". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  96. 1 2 "Site of the Church of Nigeria". Archived from the original on 10 January 2011.
  97. ↑ "Site of the Gazette ( Colorado Springs)". Archived from the original on 2 January 2013.
  98. ↑ Okpanachi, Eyene. "Ethno‐religious Identity and Conflict in Northern Nigeria" (PDF). ifra-nigeria.org. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  99. ↑ Moran, A (2011). "Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria: Key Considerations for Decision Makers" (PDF).
  100. ↑ Akanji, F. F. (2019). "Reading Nigeria's Political History".
  101. ↑ Omotosho, A. O. (2003). "Religious Violence in Nigeria – the Causes and Solutions: an Islamic Perspective" (PDF).
  102. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Nigeria: Situation of Christians, including those living in northern cities, Lagos and Abuja; state protection (2011-October 2015)". Refworld. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  103. 1 2 Aigne, G. (2011). Nigerian Christians vs. Nigerian Muslims: Secularism, Violence, and The Rhetoric of Blame (Thesis).
  104. ↑ "Catholic life in Igboland, Nigeria's Catholic stronghold". Catholics & Cultures. 7 May 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  105. ↑ "Catholicism in Nigeria". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  106. ↑ "Ethnic and religious crises in Nigeria". ACCORD. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  107. ↑ "Nigeria - The arrival of the British". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  108. ↑ "Nigeria - Christianity". countrystudies.us. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  109. ↑ "Aladura Churches in Nigeria". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  110. ↑ "My School". myschool.ng.
  111. ↑ "Publications — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY". Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  112. ↑ "Missionary Involvement in Nigeria (Historical & Current)". BGU's College of Missions. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  113. ↑ "Oba | sacred king". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  114. ↑ "(Publications):The Texture of Change". Cultural Survival. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  115. ↑ Universal House of Justice; prepared under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice. (1986). In Memoriam. The Baháʼí World. Vol. XVIII. Baháʼí World Centre. pp. Table of Contents and pp.619, 632, 802–4. ISBN 978-0-85398-234-0. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  116. ↑ Mughrab, Jan (2004). "Jubilee Celebration in Cameroon" (PDF). Baháʼí Journal of the Baháʼí Community of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Vol. 20, no. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  117. ↑ Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land. "The Baháʼí Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963". pp. 22, 46. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  118. ↑ MacEoin, Denis; William Collins. "Children/education (Listings)". The Babi and Baha'i Religions: An Annotated Bibliography. Greenwood Press's ongoing series of Bibliographies and Indexes in Religious Studies. pp. see entries 60–63, 80, 139. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  119. ↑ "Republic of Niger for August 29". Operation World. Paternoster Lifestyle. 2001. Archived from the original on 22 March 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
  120. ↑ "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  121. 1 2 "Baha'i Faith in Nigeria, The". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  122. ↑ "Adherents by Location"[usurped], Adherents.com, Accessed 19 May 2007.
  123. ↑ "In African, Islam and Christianity are growing - and blending" Archived 4 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, csmonitor.com, Accessed 19 May 2007.
  124. ↑ "Grail Movement - Nigeria" Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, grailmovementnigeria.org, Accessed 19 May 2007.
  125. ↑ BERNHARDT, Oskar Ernst called Abdrushin (1954). In the Light of Truth. The Grail Message by Abd-ru-shin. Germany: Vomperberg. OCLC 557200304.
  126. ↑ "Why Christian Deacon founded Reformed Ogboni Fraternity in 1914 – Leader -". The NEWS. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  127. ↑ http://www.rofonline.org Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  128. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Nigeria: Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (ROF) (April 2001-July 2005)". Refworld. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  129. ↑ "Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism" (PDF). Gallup. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  130. ↑ Igwe, Leo (13 September 2012). "Atheism in Nigeria". Sahara Reporters. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  131. ↑ "No country for Nigerian 'unbelievers'". The Punch. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  132. ↑ Buari, Jasmine (23 August 2016). "Do you know the pain of being an atheist in Nigeria? – Unbelievers cry out". Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  133. ↑ Igwe, Leo. "Atheism in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities - Modern Ghana". Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  134. ↑ "What if Zuckerberg were a Nigerian atheist?". Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  135. ↑ "Nigeria Must Remain Neutral When It Comes To Religion". Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  136. ↑ "Is it harder to "come out" as an atheist if you're black?". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  137. ↑ "TRUE Africa - How social media is helping atheists survive in one of the most religious places on earth". 13 April 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  138. ↑ Igwe, Uchenna. "SPECIAL REPORT: Atheists face discrimination, forced into hiding in Nigeria's north". Premium Times. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  139. ↑ "Muslim Publics Divided on Hamas and Hezbollah" (PDF). Pewglobal.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  140. ↑ "Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project". Pewforum.org. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  141. ↑ "Humanist Association of Nigeria achieves formal recognition after 17-year campairl=https://humanists.international/2017/12/humanist-association-nigeria-achieves-formal-recognition-17-year-campaign/". Humanists International. 11 December 2017.
  142. ↑ Oduah, Chika (18 September 2018). "Nigeria's undercover atheists: In their words". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  143. ↑ "Church in Nigeria". ACN International. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  144. ↑ ACN (3 June 2022). "The Government has failed us in Nigeria, and the West is complicit". ACN International. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  145. ↑ Pew Research 2020 report
  146. ↑ Freedom House, Retrieved 2023-04-25
  147. ↑ "Nigeria is number 7 on the World Watch List (Retrieved 2023-04-27)".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.