Talk:Demographics of Nigeria

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The religious percentage given in the article contradicts the CIA factbook

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html

Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

I am going to change it here until someone gives a valid argument not to OneGuy 02:42, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

So does Library of Congress Country Studies

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ng0006)

In last officially accepted census (1963), about 47 percent of population self-identified as Muslims (chiefly adherents of Sunni Islam), nearly 35 percent as Christians, and more than 18 percent as other (almost entirely adherents of indigenous religions). Majority of north Muslim; south mainly non-Muslim, primarily Christian; middle belt mixed faiths. Mission-related Christian churches (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, and others), African independent churches, and Aladura Church present. OneGuy 02:46, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

The CIA factbook is no more objective than any other source. There just isn't an objective source, as the last census was more than 40 years ago, and its results were disputed. There is credible evidence that the North (which was mostly Moslem) was overcounted, and that the South-West was undercounted (for political, rather than religious, reasons).

Whatever the statistics, I consider it improper to delete large chunks of text without a good reason. The denominational statistics are themselves subjective, but they are the best figures we have. Unrecorded transfer of membership among denominations tends to inflate the Christian figure; Johnstone estimates the inflation to be in the order of 8 million. It could be higher - or lower. In addition, there are many - both Christian and Moslem - who have changed their religion a number of times. If you want to rewrite this section, please come up with some statistics at least as detailed as the ones you have removed. David Cannon 07:52, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I don't see how you can delete the information I posted from State Department and instead propagate spurious statistics from some Christian publication. We have to go with the best source we have, and the State Department certainly is more authoritative source than some lesser known Christian source OneGuy 07:58, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

If a consensus develops to change this page, I will not oppose it. But let's keep the status quo until some others (preferably some Nigerians) have had their say. BTW, not everybody would agree that the American State Department is an NPOV source. David Cannon 08:06, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I checked the Operation World: When We Pray God Works[1]

It's some Christian missionary publication. It is not a reliable source. I don't see how this source should be used instead of the State Department statistics that I posted. No way propaganda source like this should be used to claim that Nigeria is a Christian majority country on wikipedia over a more reliable source like State Department OneGuy 08:15, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Sources?

Hello all... can someone please give me the sources for the figures in this article? According to the BBC, not even the Nigerian govt knows! Where did we get these figures from? - 211.30.173.113 05:31, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

Ye Gods, you're right! I don't have time now, but why don't you add that remark to the article -- it'd improve the quality.