Christians in northern Nigeria endure many hardships. The combination of jihadist activities, common crime, and tribal rivalries poses a direct threat to their safety and lives, a situation exacerbated by the imposition of Sharia law in many regions. Despite all this, says Bishop Habila Daboh of Zaria, “the number of Christians is growing astronomically in northern Nigeria.”

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the bishop explains that, since the colonial era, missionaries were discouraged from operating in the predominantly Muslim north, and when Christianity began to make inroads into the region, harmony prevailed. However, the recent influx of fundamentalist ideas among the Muslim community has soured the atmosphere.

“We grew up alongside the different ethnic groups,” says the bishop, who is originally from the region. “Life went on normally. We shared Christmas meals with Muslims, and during their celebrations, they shared their food with us. We ate together, played soccer, went to the same markets, and bathed in the same rivers. Then, extremists arrived, claiming that if you are not a Muslim, you shouldn’t be alive, and that’s where life became terrible for Christians.”

“And that’s where the current tensions come from,” continues Bishop Daboh. “Extremists believe we shouldn’t be in this region, and since they see us growing, they consider us a threat to the Muslim community.”

The bishop recalls a paradoxical incident in 2020, when four of his seminarians were kidnapped. Three were eventually released, but one, Michael Nnadi, was murdered. At the time, people speculated that the seminarians would renounce their vocation out of fear: “Interestingly, the opposite happened, because many young men started applying to the seminary,” he recounts. “They wanted to be priests. When we asked them their motives, they responded that they wanted to preach Jesus Christ, to tell people that Jesus was a man of peace who preached peace and love. They wanted to be priests to preach the Gospel of love to the whole world. Despite the tensions, we have fervent believers, interested in Christianity, and that’s why Christianity is thriving in northern Nigeria. It’s growing. People want to preach love. They want to preach peace. They want people to know that your neighbor is your neighbor. They may not be from your tribe and they may not share your same religion, but they are still your neighbor, and you are their neighbor, and that is the Gospel of Christ.”

While the most extremist jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram, radically oppose any form of Western education, the Bishop of Zaria emphasizes that Christians want to be educated: “My people are hungry for education,” the bishop asserts. “When they are educated, they are liberated; with education, they can find food for themselves; with education, they know what is right and what is wrong.”

For these reasons, Bishop Daboh told ACN that he believes that, even though they face constant threats and many Christians live in displacement, his flock finds happiness amidst hardship.

“My people are a happy people. Despite the difficulties, their poverty, and persecution, my people remain a happy people,” he asserts.

“They are happy because they have Christ.”