Visit Nigeria's Web Site

Today in Nigeria

The Country

The People

Religion

Opportunities to Serve

Contact
Information

The first Lutheran missionaries went to Nigeria in 1936 and 1937. Today, The Lutheran Church of Nigeria has grown to over 95,000 members, more than 75 national pastors, and 150 evangelists and lay preachers in active ministerial services.

The Nigeria Lutheran Hour (NLH) office is located in the city of Uyo. The land and building are provided
by The Lutheran Church of Nigeria, a partner church of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and
Lutheran Church-Canada.

Until 1977, the Nigerian Lutheran Hour office broadcast Lutheran Hour programming twice daily over the Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVOG) station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This station's strong signal reached all of the African continent and large areas of the Middle East, as far away as Iran. When this station was nationalized by the Ethiopian military regime, its use by the NLH was lost.

The Christian Radio Studio continues to write and produce eight 15-minute and one 30-minute devotional programs and Christian dramas for broadcast throughout Nigeria over 10 government owned stations.

Indigenous instruments, such as drums, and Nigerian-style singing are featured. These programs are well liked, and the NLH ministry center receives more than 5,500 listener letters each year.

The NLH takes part in many outreach activities, in addition to its radio programs. The Nigerian government has commended the church body for its effective moral decency campaign, as well as for its campaigns against drug abuse and AIDS.

The NLH's active audiocassette ministry provides religious information with music and information on
health and personal development.

Printed materials, including tracts, a calendar, and a daily Bible-reading guide are also made available through the NLH office. Films, recording studio tapes, and even the use of the studio's public address
system for church conventions and evangelism programs all play important roles in the office's outreach ministry efforts.

Located on the West Coast of Africa, Nigeria is the seventh largest country on the continent, covering an area the size of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas combined. It is the most populous country in Africa,
with more than 92 million people.

Nigeria is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), with petroleum accounting for 95 percent of its export income. The balance is derived from products including coffee,
cocoa, rubber, timber, tin and palm oil.

Great Britain ruled Nigeria from 1900 until 1960. Today, Nigeria is a federation of 30 states, with Abuja now the new federal capital city.

English is the nation's main language. It is used extensively in the larger cities and to make communications easier among the more than 250 different tribal language groups, who are found primarily in the grasslands
that make up the central belt of the country. The northern region of the nation is semi desert and home to nomads who raise cattle.

Approximately one-fourth of Nigeria's population lives in larger urban cities, while the rest are farmers who live in small towns and villages.

Racial, social, and religious tensions have resulted in bitter fighting in the past. The bloodiest of these conflicts, the Biafra War, ended in 1970. A number of Lutherans lost their lives in this bloody struggle, which greatly affected much of the area of the nation where the church was strongest. This was in stark contrast to the generally simple and peaceful nature of Nigerians.

Christians make up about 49 percent of Nigeria's population, outnumbering Muslims by less than five
percent. The Muslim faith is strongest in the northern and western portions of the country, especially among
the Hausa and Fulani tribes. However, animism (the belief in spirits who live in rocks and trees) is influential
even among many who claim Christian or Muslim affiliations.

Among Christians, the Presbyterians were the first to begin work in Nigeria, starting in 1842. In the 1930s, the Ibibio tribe of southern Nigeria sent a representative to the United States to seek a "Bible-believing church." He was attracted to the Lutheran College at Greensboro, N.C., became a student, graduated, and returned to his people.

His return was soon followed by the missionaries from the Lutheran Synodical Conference who arrived in
Nigeria in 1936 and 1937. His memoirs on the founding of The Lutheran Church of Nigeria (LCN) is addressed in the book, "Jonathan Udo Ekong - The Log-Bell Ringer."

It was published in 1997 by the LCN in cooperation with the Concordia Publishing House, St Louis, Mo.

Pray, praise and give thanks that the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ is being shared with the Nigerian people.

Help seize the opportunity by considering becoming a Lutheran Hour Ministries sponsor or increasing the
level of your support. Your financial support is essential to expand LHM evangelism efforts in Nigeria.

Become an ambassador for LHM and help others experience the joy of bringing the people of Nigeria and the world to Christ by sharing the LHM story with your church group or congregation.

Call the International Ministries department at 1-800-944-3450 for more information.

Contact Information...