'Pews to cyber' Nigerian churches go digital to beat lockdown

On Monday, Nigeria had recorded 5,959 confirmed coronavirus cases and 182 deaths which had seen an increase in the rate of infections to 852 cases per day.

Despite, a nationwide curfew imposed from 8.00 p.m. to 6.00 pm where people were compelled to wear face masks in public including the ban on travel between states.

Nigeria which boasts of an estimated Christian population of 80 million with about half of the population members of the pentecostal churches, the lockdown has seen increased activity of churches on various online streaming services compared to the past as the church has moved to the internet to connect with their audience.

The move by the churches to adapt to these changes was orchestrated by the outbreak of COVID-19.

According to the Global Digital January report, Nigeria has 69.2 million mobile phone connections which account for 83 per cent of an estimated population of 200 million. About 85.49 million Nigerians have access to the internet while 27 million are active social media users.

Most churches in the country have a common similarity which is its sound system. Music played at high volume is a familiar feature especially on Sunday services or during all-night services.

The noise can be intolerable for those who are not used to it and for those who live or work nearby but at St John the Baptist Cathedral Catholic Church, Gboko, in Benue State there has been an eerie silence since the lockdown was announced with the church was under lock and keys.

Odaikwu Idoko, a member of the church said that since there were no sermons several parishioners were stranded as for weeks and considered the period a holiday.

“It was considered a holiday for everyone since we do not stream the mass conducted at the cathedral online there was no way we could attend mass so we had prayed in our own ways at home,” he said.

Kehinde Ajibola who attends Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, in Mararaba, Nassarawa State has not been able to able to attend any service in his church since the lockdown was announced so he resorts to studying the church’s Sunday school manual to fulfil his religious obligations.

“I’ve not been able to attend a regular service in my church since the lockdown it very odd for me because attending church has been a habitual activity for me since I was a kid. I’ve been doing it all my life and to suddenly have that experience taken from you is a shock,” he said.

Source: The ICIR