Christians and Christianity in Northern Nigeria

Christians constitute a significant minority in northern Nigeria. This report\nintroduces some of the main dynamics that characterize the contemporary Christian\npopulation of Nigeria, with a focus on Christianity in northern Nigeria. It sketches the\norigins of the divide between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Christian movements and presents data\non the demographics and diversity of Nigerian Christianity, suggesting that there are\nfive main Christian movements in Nigeria: the Roman Catholics, the ‘orthodox’\nProtestants, the African Protestants, the Aladura churches, and finally the\nPentecostals. Furthermore, the paper discusses some of the ways in which Nigerian\nChristians are positioning themselves and their religion in Nigeria’s public sphere. In\nparticular, it focuses on the ‘internal’ and ‘external’ democratic challenges facing\nChristianity in Nigeria. As such, this paper outlines several themes that are important\nin the development of contemporary Nigerian Christianity, with special reference to\nthe north.