Even as the death toll climbs to 160 in the tragic Akwa Ibom church collapse, a new report has revealed that Nigeria is the second most religious country in the world.
According to AFP, gallup international has said Nigeria is the second most religious country due to the preponderance of evangelical churches.
Despite Nigerians’ preoccupation with religion, fatal accidents often occur in worship places. Apart from yesterday’s tragedy in Akwa Ibom, there have been other notable accidents.
In September 2014, 116 people including 84 South Africans, were killed in Lagos in the collapse of a church belonging to the famous televangelist TB Joshua. The inquest verdict attributed the collapse of the six-storey guesthouse to structural failures and said it did not have planning permission. The preacher is due to face charges of criminal negligence but the trial has yet to start.
The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, one of the largest Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, has one of the largest church auditoriums in the world with a seating capacity of 500,000.