Russian Orthodox Church begins construction of its first church in Nigeria
The Russian Orthodox Church has begun building its first church in Nigeria, the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa said on Tuesday.
Construction is underway in Ugbaikyo, a village in Benue State, where a church dedicated to St. George the Victorious is being developed with support from the Russian-Chinese cultural center Firebird.
The Exarchate said this is the Russian Orthodox Church’s (ROC) first construction project in Nigeria and noted that a parishioner donated the land.
The site will also include a small farm to help support parishioners and boost local agriculture.
Father Daniel Agbaza, the ROC’s dean in Nigeria, visited the site on Thursday, held a prayer service and blessed the land and those present, the statement said.
The new parish is part of the Exarchate’s broader expansion across Africa. Moscow created the structure in December 2021 after breaking with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria following its recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was created in 2018 and is considered schismatic by the Moscow Patriarchate. Since then, the Exarchate has built a growing network of parishes and missions in more than 30 countries, including Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon and South Africa, as Russia increases its diplomatic and economic presence on the continent.
Data released in August showed the Exarchate oversaw about 350 parishes in 36 African countries, with permanent clergy serving in 25 of them.
Also in August, a delegation of 30 Orthodox priests from 22 African states visited Moscow to discuss pastoral cooperation and religious education with Patriarch Kirill. They attended the first ecclesiastical conference of the Patriarchate’s African Exarchate and participated in an RT masterclass on creating religious content for social platforms.
In October, the Russian Orthodox Church announced the creation of a new spiritual and educational center under its Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, aimed at expanding religious teaching, media outreach, and pastoral support across the continent.
