RELEVANCE OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

Alala, Iheanacho Mendel
Keywords: Relevance Christianity Missions Development and Nigeria.
Clifford University International Journal of Development Studies (CLUIJODS) 2022 2(1), 164 - 173. Published: December 22

Abstract

Nigeria is one of the largest and most populated countries in Africa. Indeed, Nigeria had her independence in 1960 from British colonialism; the country is still in need of functional political structures to maintain economic advancement and unifying diverse ethnic groups. The coming of Christian missionaries who introduced different Christian missions into West Africa brought tremendous changes to modern tropical Africa and Nigeria in particular, the acclaimed “Giant of Africa”. This work examines the roles played by different Christian missionary movements in the development of Nigeria. It aims at enriching the historiography of the early church history of Nigeria by delving into the activities of the Christian missionaries employing the historical research method, this work discovered that the contributions of Christian missions to the development of Nigeria are outstanding in religious, social, economic, political, educational and health sectors, among others. It then recommends that the quality of leadership role laid by the Christian missionaries be sustained, and advocates that the present church and political leaders of Nigeria in particular and West Africa at large improve on this legacy for proper national and regional development.