A second mission will soon be created among the rapidly growing Church membership in Nigeria, the First Presidency announced this week.
The Nigeria Aba Mission will be created July 1 from a division of the Nigeria Lagos Mission. (Biographies of the two new mission presidents are on page 12.) The Nigeria Aba Mission is western Africa's second new mission during this 10th anniversary year of the priesthood revelation. The other is the Liberia Monrovia Mission, announced March 19.The mission in Aba is also the 17th new mission to be created this year, bringing the Churchwide total to 222. Other African missions are in Ghana, Zaire, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
In less than 10 years since the Church was established in Nigeria, the country's total membership is probably approaching 10,000. The new Aba Nigeria Stake is in the Aba mission. Districts in the country are the Owerri, Calabar, Etinan, Ikot Ekong, Uyo, Benin City and Lagos. There are six wards and 53 branches in the country.
Elder Robert E. Sackley of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the Lagos mission reported from 100 to 150 people are baptized each month in Nigeria.
"Baptisms are from all walks of life, including some from the professions, such as doctors, dentists and oil company executives," he said. "A university professor is a branch president, and branch leaders are also graduates.
"There is much work to do among the estimated 100 to 120 million people in Nigeria, but with the Lord's help, it will move forward.
"We are seeing the fulfillment of the priesthoodT revelation."
The revelation - which permitted all worthy males 12 and older to hold the priesthood - was announced by President Spencer W. Kimball June 9, 1978. Shortly thereafter the first Church representatives to western Africa, Elders Rendell Mabey and Edwin Q. Cannon and their wives, arrived in Lagos on Nov. 8, 1978.
Their first convert was Anthony Obinna, a schoolmaster who had been investigating the Church on his own for eight years. He was baptized and became a branch president. Today, he remains an active member.
Another convert is Ime O. Eduok, the earliest convert now living in Nigeria. He was a student in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1970 when he investigated the Church and was baptized.
The West Africa Mission was formally created in April 1, 1980, under the direction of Pres. Bryan Espenschied. Under his leadership, additional gains were realized. He was succeeded by Pres. Sylvester Cooper in 1982, who solidified the gains by emphasizing priesthood leadership training. He also selected building sites for meetinghouses.
Later mission presidents J. Duffy Palmer and Elder Sackley have continued the pattern of building upon a solid gospel tradition.
While early missionary work centered in outlying villages, later missionaries have found success in the cities, where the Church is now most strongly established. In Nigeria's cities are many well-educated people who have joined the Church and serve as leaders.
Many of the new members have been converted by local missionaries. At this time, some 46 young Nigerians are serving, along with several couple missionaries from other countries.
Elder Alexander B. Morrison of the First Quorum of the Seventy and second counselor in the British Isles/Ireland/Africa Area described the local missionaries from Nigeria and Ghana as "bright people who speak several languages. That's why, when I say we have explosive potential for the Church, that is absolutely right. They just have to hear the gospel to believe it, and they're as faithful as can be. They are comparable with any stake members you will find in Europe or the rest of the world."
A building program was started in western Africa in 1979, just one year after the missionaries arrived. During the next few years, some buildings and sites were purchased. The first buildings were usually halls with a couple of rooms at the back. Some of these were renovated by the Church, while new buildings were constructed at other sites. One of the first new buildings constructed was for the branch led by Anthony Obinna.
During the past two years, another nine new meetinghouses have been added. Five more are now being built, and three others are planned to be started this year. The remainder of the country's branches are meeting in leased or rented facilities.