Religion in Nigeria

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]

Christianity and Islam are the two main religions practiced in Nigeria[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 northern region, and Christians, who live mostly in the southern region of the country. Indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, have been declining for decades and being 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 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 almost entirely Muslim,[9] and the Yoruba are religiously diverse, with most following either Christianity or Islam, though a significant number practice the Yoruba religion.[10][11][12] The Igbos of the east and the Ijaw in the south are almost entirely Christians with a few practitioners of traditional religions.[11] The Middle Belt of Nigeria contains 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.[13][14]

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.”[15] 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.[16] 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.[17][18][19] 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.[20]

  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. ^ "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. ^ 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. ^ "Yoruba, The". Harvard Divinity School. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Nigeria: a secular or multi religious state - 2". Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Yoruba people". Britannica. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  13. ^ "The Middle Belt: History and politics". Nasarawastate.org. 29 November 2004. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Nigerian Constitution". Nigeria Law. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Sharia implementation in northern Nigeria after 15 years | Oxford Department of International Development". www.qeh.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Owobi Angrew, Tiptoeing Through A Constitutional Minefield: The Great Sharia Controversy in Nigeria, Journal of African Law, Vol 48, No 2, 2002.
  19. ^ "Kano Seeks Supremacy of Sharia Over Constitution". wwrn.org. 17 March 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  20. ^ 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.