Area: 923,768
sq km
(65 times the size
of N.Ireland)
Capital:
Abuja
Population:
158,258,917
(86 times the population of NI)
Official language:
English. Hausa is widely used in the north and middle belt, Yoruba in the southwest, Igbo in the southeast and Pidgin English all over the south.
521 langauges are actively spoken in Nigeria, making Bible translation a vitally important task.
|
| |
|
If you would like to make a gift to support Bible Society ministry in Nigeria, you can do so in several ways:
1. Donate online here...
(please write 'Nigeria' in the comment box)
2.
Ring us on 028 9032 6577 to make a Credit/Debit Card donation by phone.
3.
Forward a cheque made payable to 'Bible Society NI' with a note that the gift is for Nigeria.
4. Text your donation
using
your Mobile Phone.
Simply text the code INSI18£10* and send it to 70070.
A donation will be made to Bible Society NI which will be billed through your phone bill, or taken off your Pay-as-you-go credit.
*donation amount can be changed to anything between £1 and £5 (e.g. INSI18£1 / INSI18£2 etc...) or INSI18£10
|
|
Dear Prayer Partner
,
It is so good to share some of God's incredible work with you. This month we are giving you a little insight into the work of the Bible Society in Nigeria.
The focus of this dedicated team is reaching people who do not have access the the Bible yet. This is a big task but when God gives a vision, He also makes a way. You are sure to be encouraged as you read about Kingdom steps that are being made in this difficult country.
|
 |
|
|
Olugbenga Lakanmi says it feels 'so great to see the wonders of God'!
|
When Bible Society of Nigeria realised that so few people within the deaf community were able to access to the Word of God in a way they could understand, they knew they had to do something. This is a group of a million people who had no Bible. One report claims that the Gospel has impacted less than 2% of the deaf community. So the Bible Society of Nigeria partnered up with with Deaf Opportunity Out Reach (DOOR) International, among others, to produce the Nigerian Sign Language Bible. We were excited to hear of 110 Bible Stories in Nigerian Sign Language being dedicated last September. This took place at the opening of their Deaf Bible Translation Centre. This centre has been founded to continue bringing the Bible alive for the deaf community. More Bible passages are now available on DVD and online. Olugbenga Lakanmi is deaf and nothing was going to stop him being at the dedication of the centre so he could receive God's Word. "I feel so great to see the wonders of God! Not only do we now have part of the Bible in our language, but this new centre has been built for our benefit. When we watched one of the Bible story videos we really liked it. It is so much easier for us to understand than trying to read it in written form." Olugbenga Lakanmi.
Praise God for the continued spread of His Word to deaf communities. This particular project continues with the aim of making the whole Bible available. We are privileged to be partnering in this ministry throughout 2018.
|
|
|
|
Bible Listening groups are bringing access to the Gospel.
|
Translation, Literacy & Listening
Currently, the Bible has been translated into 24 Nigerian Languages. The Bible Society is currently involved in translation or revision work in 19 more.
It is not unusual for a translation project to have a literacy programme running beside it, preparing people for the new Bible that will soon be made available to them. After all, there is no point printing a Bible if no-one can read it! One example is the Epie langague. It is hoped that the Bible translation will be complete by the end of 2021 and it seems to be on course with the entire first draft now complete. Work is being put in to seeing a literacy programme
established here. Literacy brings
access to God's Word as well as
opening up further options to
people
who have been restricted until now.
Of course, low literacy levels remain, so alternative access to the Bible is needed.This is where listening groups are powerful tools. Bible Societies in a number of African countries have been successfully implementing Faith Comes by Hearing groups for many years. Nigeria is currently using this material to reach out to people who cannot read, cannot afford a Bible or simply do not want to read. These groups are usually set up through churches although they can also happen in other places such as prisons, institutions and work places.
The Bible Society of Nigeria have also been working for years to make the Bible available in Braille through libraries and schools for the Blind. All people should be able to understand the Word of God!
|
|
