Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Sep 21: Nigeria, The Central Zone
Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Africa
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Geography
Area: 923,768 sq kmMangrove and tropical rain forests in the south, savannah and grasslands in the north. The country is drained by the Niger-Benue river systems.
Population: 158,258,917 Annual Growth: 2.35%
Capital: Abuja
Urbanites: 49.8%
HDI Rank: 158 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 523 (13% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: English. Hausa is widely used in the north and middle belt, Yoruba in the southwest, Igbo in the southeast and Pidgin English all over the south Languages: 521 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 81,123,521 | 51.26 | 2.7 |
| Evangelicals | 48,806,250 | 30.8 | 3.4 |
Challenge for Prayer
The scale of persecution of Christians by Muslims has accelerated in Nigeria’s northern states and as far south as the central plateau. It has caused the death of thousands, including pastors, and the destruction of hundreds, even thousands, of churches. It has united Christians and driven them to the Lord in prayer, but it also threatens the very fabric of Nigerian society and statehood. Pray for:a) An understanding of the causes of this complex situation. Muslims fear a loss of power, influence and land as the Church grows and as democracy spreads. Tribal and political rivalries contribute to the tension. Jihadist influences foment pre-planned violence and use the flimsiest pretexts to invoke riots. Not least, the evil one seeks to kill, steal and destroy, from both Christians and Muslims.
b) Restoration and recovery for those who have suffered loss, bereavement and rape. Both Nigerian churches and international agencies are providing new homes, clothing, food and essentials, but inner healing cannot be so easily procured.
c) Forgiveness for persecutors and deliverance from a spirit of revenge.
d) The Christian Association of Nigeria and its ministry of representing Nigeria’s 88 million Christians in five major blocs to the local and federal authorities.
e) Decisive actions by the authorities. Not enough is done to prevent and discourage the outbreak of violence by Muslims – many feel the police and/or military are compromised. Justice is rarely seen to be done, and compensation for the loss and destruction is often promised but almost never delivered.
f) The exposure of the violent and hateful nature of extremist groups. Christians suffer a series of attacks, often pre-planned and well coordinated, and even attempts to force them to convert to Islam under threat of death. This has led to several courageously dying as martyrs. In a number of situations, Christians are unable to trust the protection of government security forces or police to prevent attacks from invading militants.
g) The conversion of Muslims, both of persecutors and of those appalled by the behaviour of their co-religionists. Many of these have been won to Christ over recent years, which is part of the reason for the attacks.
h) The best possible response by Christians. Until now, forbearance has been mistaken for weakness. The large majority of Christians endure such predations without retaliation. But at times of provocation, pastors struggle to prevent their members, especially nominal members, from taking vengeance. Many Christians are involved in peacemaking and pray for a supernatural love of enemies that no force can defeat.
For an additional 14 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Nigeria.The Central Zone
Nigeria
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Challenge for Prayer
The occurrences of religious violence and persecution in this region, especially Plateau state and its capital, Jos, have been prominent in the last decade (see main section, point 8 ). It is the fault line between Christian- and Muslim-dominated Nigeria. British colonial arrangements placed Muslim rulers over Christian populations; most recently, this has seen the imposition of shari’a on Christian-majority areas as well as the overturning of Muslim rule via democratic elections. Jos is a centre of Christian ministry; Jos itself and many believers therein have suffered as a result of much destruction and chaos. Pray for boldness and faithfulness in the midst of pressures and for a Christlike response to opposition.For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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