The first unit will introduce you to the Portuguese voyages of the
15th Century that brought Christianity to Nigeria.
However, the planting of Christianity in Nigeria soon terminated
because of their involvement in slave trade .
Many Nigerians were sold to them and were taken as slaves into
exile, such as America. For this reason, Nigerians were not
converted to Christianity by the Portuguese. Christianity could not
penetrate into Nigeria through the Portuguese slave-traders and
the religion soon fizzled out of Nigeria. This unit will also
introduce you to the coming of the Roman Catholic Church into
Nigeria, but, the Denomination too soon short lived in Nigeria in
the early 18b Century. However, in this unit, you will also learn
how the Yoruba wars of the early 19b Century paved way for th
the sale of many men to various places in the world. But the sale
of these slaves became blessings to Nigerians after their freedom.
Many of these people who were sold into slavery by Nigerians,
got converted into Christianity at their new world in which they
found themselves.
In 1841, the British government embarked on the campaign for
the abolition of slavery in Africa, many slaves were set freed.
The freed slaves settled at Freetown, Sierra-Leone. The freed slaves
had accepted Christianity as their main religion instead of the Africa
Traditional Religion into which they were born. These freed slaves
were also said to have engaged in the legitimate trade. The freed
slaves introduced Christianity to their relatives in Nigeria. They also
invited missionaries to Nigeria to continue planting the Christian
religion which they had introduced in their various towns and
villages in Nigeria. In other words, this unit discusses the planting
of Christianity in Nigeria through trade and the freed Nigerian
slaves. Therefore, the specific objectives and outline below are
what you should expect to learn from this unit.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
• explain the period which Christianity took root in Nigeria.
• analyse the roles of the freed slaves in the planting of
Christianity in Nigeria
• state the roles of the early missionaries in Nigeria
• describe the problems and prospects of Christianity in Nigeria.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT
3.1 The Portuguese and Catholic Mision in Nigeria
About 15b century A.D, Henry the Navigator of Portugal, desired th
to sail further in the Atlantic Ocean . He loved buying the gold of
West Africa. Henry wanted to get the West African gold directly,
without going the Muslim Kingdoms in North Africa and Arabia
in the middle East.(Ade Ajayi 1977). Henry sent out his ships
accompanied by some Roman Catholic Missionaries to Nigeria.
They visited Benin and Warri. Around the riverian areas in Nigeria,
slave trade was the business of the day. Most of the kings the
missionaries preached to were interested more in the Portuguese
guns than were in Christianity. For this reason, the planting of
Christianity by the Roman Catholic missionaries failed in fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries A..D. in Nigeria.
The Contribution of the Britih Parliament to the
Stopping of Slave-Trade in Nigeria
Andeyatso Addo et al, (1985), in their work entitled The Church
Missionary Society and the Anglican Church, state that the Crown
passed the bill of the abolition of slave trade into law in 1807. The
Crown Government therefore assigned some British naval officers to
patrol the sea and arrest whoever they found involved in carrying slaves
on boats from Africa to their own countries.
The British navy would capture boats that were used by the Portuguese
carrying slaves, and would send them to Freetown slave court for trial.
At Freetown, the slaves who were in the captured boats were set freed
and the captured boats were seized and sold by the British Armed Forces
to the rich freed slaves.
The arrival of freed slaves into Sierra-Leone in 1841, made Christians
in the Great Britain to change the policies of the government. As
a result, many Britons saw the evils of slavery and took steps
to stop it. William Wilberforce encouraged the British government
make slave trade illegal and to send British armed ships on the oceans.
3.3 The Arrival of Freed Slaves of West African Ancestry in
Free Town
At the close of the 8b century, freed slaves of West African th
ancestry began to arrive and settle in Freetown. Reverend
Mulvilles an Anglican priest came to Sierra/Leone to serve as Chaplain
to the European traders. He preached the gospel to the freed slaves
and cared for them at Free town.
He later returned to Britain and he became one of the Chief
advisers of the Church.
3.4 The Arrival of Freed Slaves in Nigeria
Some of the freed slaves in Sierra-Leone were engaged in trading.
They travelled from Sierra-Leone to Lagos and Badagry. The Yoruba
freed slaves were organized. They engaged in buying captured boats
condemned by free town slave courts. One of the boats bought by
them was named Wilberforce. Some of the freed slaves settled at
Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria. Many of them were
educated by the Church Missionary Society. Their association with the
British government helped them to purchase fire arms.
Abeokuta served as a home place for those freed slaves that
settled there.
While in Abeokuta, they practiced their Christian faith. They also
preached the religion to others who were not Christians. They converted
many to Christianity.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Account for the stoppage of Christianity in Nigeria around fifteenth
century.
4.0 CONCLUSION
In this unit, you have learnt about the Portuguese voyages of the
fifteenth century that brought Christianity to Nigeria.
You have also learnt what led to the stoppage of Christianity in
Nigeria at the period in question. For example, the involvement of
the Portuguese Christians in slave /trade led to the stoppage of the
spread of Christianity in Nigeria. The Yoruba wars of the early
nineteenth century caused many Yoruba people to be sold into slavery.
They were taken away by their buyers into various parts of the
world. However, some of them had close contact with their
masters who them and introduced Christianity to them. When such
slaves were set free, they returned to Nigeria and introduced
Christianity which they had come across to their relations.
5.0 SUMMARY
The following is a summary of the major points in the unit:
The involvement of the Portuguese Christians in slave / trade
discouraged many Nigerians to accept Christianity. The campaign
against slavery by the British government led to the eradication of
slave/trade in Nigeria in 1841. As a result of this, many Nigerians
who were sold into slavery regained their freedom and returned
to their home towns to introduce Christianity which they had
accepted in foreign lands.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
The campaign against slavery by the British government around
1841 was a blessing to many Nigerians who were in slavery in
exile. Discuss.
REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Ade Ajayi J.F., (1977).Christian Missions in Nigeria 1841-1891:
The Making of a New Elite, Lagos: Longmans Group Ltd.
Kalu, O.U. (1980).The History of Christianity in West African, Essays
Lectures, London and New York: Longmans Group Ltd.
Taiwo, C.O. (1980). The Nigerian Education system: Past, Present and
Future, Lagos: Thomas Nelson Nig. Ltd.
