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Nigeria has known only one decade of an elected government since it left the British Empire in 1960, until President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected to office in 1999. He was reelected in 2003. Obasanjo has promised reforms, but a culture of greed and corruption runs deep.

Religion: Christian 52.61%, Muslim 41.00%, Traditional ethnic 5.99%, and non- Religious/other 0.40% (Traditional religions are nearer 13 percent of the population, and so both Muslims and Christians are correspondingly lower than the above figures indicate.)

Ideological Influence: Islam

Head of State: President Olusegun Obasanjo, a committed Christian, has wisely and tactfully moved to bring about change while endeavoring to preserve national unity. The former ruling elite have put forth efforts to frustrate and discredit his administration.

Persecution: Islam has been given preferential treatment over Christianity in the past. Shariah Law has been implemented in 12 of Northern Nigeria’s predominately Muslim states. Christian leaders are hopeful Obasanjo’s government will continue to crack down on Muslim fanaticism. In 2005, violence against Christians continued. Believers were killed; churches, Christian schools, homes and businesses were burned and destroyed. The government in the past has turned a blind eye.

Missionary Opportunity: The church in Nigeria is strong, but there is concern over the rise of foreign cults and the mixing of Christianity with the country’s traditional fetish beliefs. Nigeria has become one of the major missionary-sending countries of the developing world.

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On Sunday, December 10, Christians at Nairobi Pentecostal Church (NPC) called a three-day fast after a letter written to their bishop warned of an attack on Christian radio station Hope FM and other churches. According to Compass Direct News, the threat comes seven months after a raid on the station, located on church property, left a guard dead. “NPC Bishop Boniface Adoyo called for the fast in a letter read to church members on Sunday, saying the threatening letter also mentioned other churches targeted for attack over unspecified reasons,” Compass Direct News added. On May 12, eight unidentified gunmen stormed the station, shot and killed a guard and torched the building after a broadcast aired, comparing teachings of the Bible with the Quran. Pray for Christians in Kenya to be a bold witness in spite of threats and attacks against them.

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Twenty church buildings were demolished July 6-13 in Kano city of northern Nigeria by the Kano State Environmental Planning and Protection Agency (KASEPPA) after the agency claimed the churches failed to comply with environmental laws. All the demolished churches, most of which had existed for more than 20 years, were located in the Bompai area of the city. Alhaji Rabiu Bichi, KASEPPA managing director, said, “All we are doing is sanitizing the entire environment by demolishing all illegal structures that have no valid certificates of occupancy, and these churches don’t have such valid documents.” A pastor responded that the churches have not acquired valid documents for the properties because their efforts have been thwarted by the Muslim-controlled state government, which brands the churches as “illegal structures” just to have them demolished. Pray that the Christians of Kano will seek the Lord to find meeting places, trusting in God to protect them.