Construction has begun on a house of the Lord in Nigeria’s most populous state.
On Saturday, May 10, ground was broken for the Lagos Nigeria Temple, to be the second house of the Lord dedicated in Nigeria. It’s one of seven temples operating, under construction or announced in the country.
Elder Alfred Kyungu — a General Authority Seventy and president of the Africa West Area — presided over the Lagos temple groundbreaking ceremony and dedicated the site and construction process.
The invitation-only event was broadcast and is accessible online. Information about the groundbreaking was published Monday, May 12, in a news release on the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
Elder Kyungu explained in his remarks the difference between a meetinghouse and a temple. He noted that temples have been built throughout scripture and that it’s a blessing to have temples again in the Lord’s restored Church.
“I testify that Jesus is the Christ and that the temple is the house of the Lord,” he said to those in attendance. “It is a place to deepen our personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ.”
In his dedicatory prayer on the site, Elder Kyungu expressed gratitude for the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, the Restoration of the gospel, temple ordinances, priesthood authority and the ability to seal families and generations together.
“Dear Father, we ask Thee to bless and sanctify this site as we open this ground. We petition Thee that this location be hallowed, that it will be protected.”
Also speaking at the groundbreaking was Elder Christian Chigbundu, an Area Seventy. He explained that the reason the Church constructs temples is so members can make covenants that bind them to Jesus Christ.
Uba Ogechci Esther, a young woman from the Lagos Nigeria Yaba Stake, spoke on how to prepare personally to attend the house of the Lord. Patrons can prepare in ways like prayer, repentance and forgiving others, she said, quoting Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
“Worship in the temple is a sacred experience,” Esther said. “It’s not just about being present physically but being present spiritually, mentally and emotionally.”
President Sunday Oyedeji, president of the Lagos Nigeria Egbeda Stake, reflected on his experience attending the Aba Nigeria Temple dedication as a young missionary. He also testified that blessings and divine help come from making and keeping covenants in the house of the Lord.
“In order for us to travel through this life’s challenges,” he said, “and to prepare in all things to return back to the presence of God, it is expedient we enter into covenants with the Lord.”
Mercy Fayehun from the Lagos Nigeria Agege Stake bore witness to the reality of temple blessings, including personal revelation, peace and the strength to endure trials.
“In the quiet of a temple, we gain perspective,” she said. “We remember who we are and whose we are.”
About the Church in Nigeria
President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple in Lagos, Nigeria, on Oct. 7, 2018, during October 2018 general conference. It was one of 12 temples announced at the conference.
Planned as a single-story building of approximately 19,800 square feet, the structure is being built on a 2.7-acre site at the northwest intersection of Rumens Road and Bourdillon Road in the Ikoyi neighborhood of Lagos. Also planned for the site are an arrival center and patron housing.
This house of the Lord will join one other in the country, the Aba Nigeria Temple, dedicated in 2005. A third, the Benin City Nigeria Temple, will start construction in just two weeks, on May 24. Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, first counselor in the Africa West Area presidency, will preside over the groundbreaking ceremony.
Four other temples are in planning stages in Nigeria: the Eket Nigeria Temple (announced in 2022), Calabar Nigeria Temple (2023), Abuja Nigeria Temple (2024) and Uyo Nigeria Temple (2025).
Nigeria is the most populous country in West Africa. More than 250,000 Latter-day Saints comprising 840 congregations reside in Nigeria, where the Church of Jesus Christ was first established in 1978.
