The Church of Nigeria represents the Anglican faith in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptized membership (not by attendance), after the Church of England. In 2016, it was reported that the membership exceeded 18 million, out of a total Nigerian population of 190 million. It’s essentially the biggest province in the Communion. According to the number of active members, the Church of Nigeria has close to 2 million baptized members. Based on a study released by Cambridge University Press in the Journal of Anglican Studies, the estimated number of Anglicans in Nigeria ranges from 4.94 to 11.74 million.
The Church of Nigeria stands as the largest Anglican province in Africa, representing 41.7% of Anglicans in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is likely the largest in terms of active members within the Anglican Communion.
Since 2002, the Church of Nigeria has been structured into 14 ecclesiastical provinces. The number of dioceses and bishops has increased rapidly, from 91 in 2002 to 161 as of January 2013. Abuja is where the administrative headquarters are situated. Archbishop Henry Ndukuba assumed the role of primate in 2020.
Christianity was introduced to Nigeria in the 15th century by Augustinian and Capuchin monks from Portugal. The Church of England’s initial mission was established in 1842 in Badagry by Henry Townsend. In 1964, Charles Longley, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, consecrated Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther as Bishop of the Niger Mission. This made him the first African Bishop and Bishop of the Niger Territories, which was later renamed the Diocese of Western Equatorial Africa with its headquarters in Onitsha. The Diocese of Western Equatorial Africa was split into the Diocese of Lagos in 1919 and the Diocese of Niger in 1920.
Two dioceses (Lagos and on the Niger) eventually led to the creation of 14 more dioceses. February 24, 1979, marked the unification of the sixteen dioceses of Nigeria into the Church of Nigeria, a newly established province of the Anglican Communion. Timothy O. Olufosoye, who was the Bishop of Ibadan at the time, became its inaugural archbishop, primate, and metropolitan. From 1980 to 1988, eight more dioceses were established. In 1986, J. Abiodun Adetiloye took over as the second primate and metropolitan of Nigeria, holding the position until 1999.
In 1989, the Diocese of Abuja was established in the region of the new capital of Nigeria, with Peter Akinola serving as its inaugural bishop.
The 1990s saw a significant focus on evangelization for the Church of Nigeria, beginning with the consecration of mission bishops for various mission dioceses. During the years 1993–1996, the primate established nine dioceses: Oke-Osun, Sabongidda-Ora, Okigwe North, Okigwe South, Ikale-Ilaje, Kabba, Nnewi, Egbu, and Niger Delta North. In December 1996, five additional mission dioceses were established in the north—Kebbi, Dutse, Damaturu, Jalingo, and Otukpo—with their first bishops chosen. [13] In 1997 and 1998, four additional dioceses were established: Wusasa, Abakaliki, Ughelli, and Ibadan North. In 1999, the Church of Nigeria expanded by adding 13 new dioceses. Four were added in July (Oji River, Ideato, Ibadan South, and Offa), eight in November (Lagos West, Ekiti West, Gusau, Gombe, Niger Delta West, Gwagwalada, Lafia, and Bida), and Oleh in December. During the span of 10 years, a total of 27 new regular dioceses and 15 mission dioceses were established. The Archbishop of Canterbury announced that the Church of Nigeria is the Anglican Communion’s fastest-growing church.
In 1997, the Church of Nigeria was divided into three ecclesiastical provinces, as shown below.
In the year 2000, Archbishop Peter Akinola took over from Archbishop Adetiloye as the primate of the Church of Nigeria. One of his initial moves as primate was to convene 400 bishops, priests, lay members, and members of the Mothers’ Union to develop a vision for the Church of Nigeria under the leadership of Ernest Shonekan, a former President of Nigeria. The vision provided was:
The action plan involved various initiatives such as expanding translations of the liturgy, creating a fundraising team, providing legal support for religious freedom, establishing theological institutions, ensuring internet access, training clergy and evangelists, implementing social welfare programs, and setting up educational and healthcare facilities.
Back in 2005, as part of the vision of the Church of Nigeria, Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo was given a license to function as a private university in Nigeria on January 7, 2005.
Structure & Leadership
Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos. In 1997, due to rapid growth, the Church of Nigeria was divided into three internal ecclesiastical provinces:
- Province 1, which includes the dioceses in the West, was led by Archbishop Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye, who also served as Primate of All Nigeria and metropolitan archbishop.
- Province 2, which includes the Eastern dioceses, was overseen by Benjamin Nwankiti, Bishop of Owerri, as metropolitan archbishop.
- Province 3, which includes the Northern dioceses, is led by Peter Akinola, who serves as the metropolitan archbishop of Abuja.
In 2002, the Church of Nigeria underwent another reorganization, this time being divided into 10 ecclesiastical provinces.
The rapid growth has persisted, and by 2012, there were 14 archbishops leading 14 ecclesiastical provinces, encompassing a total of 161 dioceses.
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