HOW CHRISTIANITY PENETRATED IGBOLAND

 One of the greatest events in history is the coming of Christianity to Igboland on July 27, 1857 over a hundred and sixty years ago. It emanated from the general European expedition of the West African continent. Expeditors from Britain trooped to Africa to trace the source and end of the River Niger. In 1841, the British government commissioned three ships, namely the Albert, Wilberforce and Sudan to explore and chart Rivers Niger and Benue with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) actively involved.

Two men from Sierra Leone accompanied them. They were Reverend. J. Schon, a linguist and Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Cathechist and an ex-slave of Yoruba parentage. The CMS had established a firm root in Freetown, where the first missionaries were sent to by the society in 1804. Unfortunately. The first expedition of August, 1841 in which the group entered the River Niger, was a woeful failure as within weeks, malaria killed fifty-four out of one hundred and sixty-two white men.

Again in 1857, Reverend Ajayi Crowther and J.C Taylor, along with a number of Catechists, joined Macgregor Laird for another expedition sponsored by the British government. Reverend Crowther had a definite comission from the CMS to establish the Niger Mission. It was at the Christ Church ground in Onitsha that the Niger Mission began in 1857 as African initiative. 

After negotiations with Onitsha reigning monarch, Akazua, the British established trading posts in the town and the mission started. The Onitsha king allocated land for the headquarters of the mission. The responsibility of establishing the first mission in Igboland fell on Reverend Taylor, an ex-Igbo slave and a convert from Sierra Leone. Reverend Taylor was able to build schools, preached the gospel, taught and visited people as well as healed the natives. On 29, June, 1864, Crowther was consecrated Bishop in Canterbury to expand the Mission in Nigeria, confirm and ordain the people.

Bishop Crowther's episcopate lasted for about 27 years and it witnessed rapid expansion in the work of the Niger Mission. With his convincing gospel messages, the murder of twins, burial of slaves alive with their dead masters, sacrificing of maidens in Onitsha to appease the river goddes and many other superstitions in Igboland were stopped. Many Niger missions were established including schools and seminaries and the training of priests all over Igboland. As of the time of this video, Christianity has lasted 167 years in Igboland.