Nigeria
Salvation Army operations began in Nigeria in 1920 when Lieut-Colonel and Mrs George H. Souter landed in Lagos, to be followed later by Staff-Captain and Mrs Charles Smith, with ten West Indian Officers. Following an invitation for the Army to establish a presence in Mali, with registration being given on 29 November 2007, a response was undertaken under local leadership. In February 2008 officers were appointed and Mali became a separate region on 1 April 2011.
The territory was blessed to host Commissioner Merle Heatwole (IS for Business Administration (ISBA)) whose meeting with the Territorial Self-Reliance Committee yielded positive results in the drive to make the territory self-sufficient in the near future. The ISBA also conducted lectures on governance and accountability for cadets and staff in the training college.
The Community Recovery and Awareness programme (CAR) was taken to a higher level as it hosted the then British Prime Minister, Theresa May, who made known new measures to cut illegal and unsafe migration and promised to provide support for victims of modern slavery in west Africa. With more than 100 referrals and in excess of fifty survivors supported, the programme hopes to continue to build capacity in order to meeting the continuous growth in demand.
In August 2018, Commissioner Benjamin and Grace Mnyampi (Former IS and ZSWM for Africa) conducted a territorial review. This visit coincided with the commissioning of 21 cadets of the Messengers of the Gospel Session and the welcome to Lieut-Colonels Isaac and Eva Danso (CS and TSWM).
The Territorial Men's Fellowship Congress, under the theme "Men of Honour" brought together more than 1,000 men, the four day event offering an opportunity for delegates to reflect on their spiritual journey.
Twenty-seven cadets of the Messengers of the Kingdom Session were also officially welcomed and prayerfully handed over to the care of the training principal.
As the territory moves towards its centennial celebration, the Territorial Executive Council met to consider strategies to aid spiritual and numerical growth. A successful meeting led to positive decisions being made.
Through the vision of Colonels Victor and Rose-Marie Leslie, and with the support from the USA Southern Territory, the Catherine Booth School has a new building for the continuation of educational programmes for the pupils.
Major Seth Le Leu visited the territory to guide and teach members of the cabinet, alongside some selected officers and staff, in a Salvation Army view on a "Theology of Governance".
In April 2019, 32 youth workers were trained in child protection by a team from IHQ, led by Miss Melissa Goodman, With some 5.6 million children abused yearly in the country, the child protection "champions" were urged to return to their locations and train others with the aim of eradicating this problem.
Territorial Leaders
Colonel Victor Leslie - Territorial Commander (1 January 2015)
Colonel Rose-Marie Leslie - Territorial President for Women's Ministries
Lieut-Colonel Isaac Danso - Chief Secretary (1 May 2018)
Lieut-Colonel Eva Danso - Territorial Secretary for Women's Ministries
Territorial Headquarters
6 Shipeolu Street,
Onipanu,
Shomolu,
Lagos
Postal Address
Box 3025,
Shomolu,
Lagos,
Nigeria
Statistics
Officers - 457 (active - 359 retired - 98)
Envoys - 192 Cadets - 58 Employees - 104
Corps - 190 Outposts and Societies - 159
Senior Soldiers - 20,107 Adherents - 1,051 Junior Soldiers - 7,815
Email: nig.leadership@nig.salvationarmy.org
Web: thesalvationarmyng.org
Country included in the territory: Nigeria
Languages in which the gospel is preached: Edo, Efik/Ibibio, English, Hausa, Ibo, Ijaw, Calabari, Tiv, Urhobo, Yoruba