A Survey of the Muslims of Nigeria's North Central Geo-Political Zone

Abstract

This report surveys the Muslims of the North Central geo-political zone of Nigeria, namely, in alphabetical order, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States, plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. In ethnic and religious terms this is a very heterogeneous part of Nigeria. To try to get a sense of the diverse Muslim populations of each state and the FCT separately, in the very short time allowed for the work, Muslim scholars familiar with their assigned territories were commissioned to write separate essays on their states or the FCT, roughly according to the same plan of this essay as outlined in the Table of Contents. The authors of those state and FCT essays are acknowledged and their background papers are listed in the bibliography. This report is then based on the state and FCT background papers, plus the research of other scholars of Islam in Nigeria and its histories among the many ethnic groups coexisting there, plus the author’s own work, all as indicated in the notes and references.

Keywords: Nigeria, Muslims, North Central States, Percentages, Diversity, Tolerance, Religiosity, Religious Freedom, Education, Islam in Government, CBOs, NGOs