Click here to locate Nigeria synagogues on a map
nigeria
Official Name: Federal Republic of Nigeria
Position: Along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Guinea in western Africa -- bordered by Benin, Niger, Lake Chad, and Cameroon
Independence:
Colonized: Early 20th Century by the United Kingdom Recognized: October 1, 1960 from the United Kingdom Republic: October 1, 1963
Current Population: 174.5 million
Area: 923,768 km2 / 356,667 square miles
Capital: Abuja
Languages: English is the official language with various regional dialects spoken, including Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba
National Groups: 21% Yoruba, 21% Hausa, 18% Igbo, 11% Fulani, 7% Efik-Ibibio, 4% Kanuri, 3% Tiv, 3% Edo, 2% Ijaw, 10% others, including Muslim, white Christian, and Jewish communities
JEWISH CENTERS
Active Community: Igboland and Abuja
Estimated Current-Day Jewish Population: 70,000
Operational Synagogue: Many in Igboland and three in Abuja
Cemeteries: Uncertain
Note: Due to Boko Haram domestic terrorism and overall instability, visiting the synagogues in the Igboland is currently dangerous, and hence they are not included in this website
NIGERIA'S SYNAGOGUES AND OTHER JEWISH ARCHITECTURE
Ghihon Hebrews’ Research Synagogue (Congregation Formed in the 1990s; Building Completed in 2005)
Tikvat Israel Congregation (formed around 1997) Synagogue (dating from the turn of the 21st Century)
Nigeria Friends of Institute of Light Israel-Africa Synagogue (completed in 2002)