Nigeria (MNN) — Earlier this month, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari ordered extremist Islamic schools to dissolve. Trans World Radio’s (TWR) West Africa Transmitting Site Director Garth Kennedy says some of these schools held students hostage.
“There are plenty of Islamic schools around us [that] are continuing and not taking an extremist point of view. We see that as a good point because it does mean that the outside world is seeing what’s happening, and the president is there to do something about the situation in this country,” Kennedy says.
“People are suffering. Not only the Church is suffering, but there is a lot of suffering amongst the general Nigerians in the country.”
Extremist groups often offer status and financial stability to vulnerable youth (Read more on Nigeria HERE). TWR is offering something better; the opportunity for a relationship with Christ.
Broadcasting Hope in Nigeria
TWR has broadcasted Christ’s hope into the area for years using an omnidirectional antenna. Broadcasts are shared in local heart languages such as Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Kanuri, to name a few. TWR broadcasts Christian content, including devotionals, audio teachings, music, Christian encouragement, and more. (Learn more about TWR’s content HERE.)
(Photo courtesy of TWR via Facebook)
“People are looking for outside news outlets. People want to hear outside news and so when…anybody…is listening to the radio, [who] just want to hear what is going on in the world. He will stumble on our radio station, and he will listen to something in his heart language,” Kennedy explains.
“But if somebody’s listening to their heart language, they tend to hang around and say ‘Okay, what’s this about? Why are they speaking to me in my heart language and sharing something and then talking about the Gospel and salvation?’”
TWR has received enough feedback from listeners in Nigeriato to justify dedicating a second transmitter on a high-power level for the region. This project is called the Oasis Transmitter Project.
The Oasis Project
(Photo courtesy of TWR via Facebook)
The entire Oasis Transmitter Project costs $1.3 million. This includes equipment, installation, and the costs to expand facilities and put up a new tower. TWR also has to purchase new generators to support the stronger transmitter.
“TWR in the early days decided not to go with the current 100,000-watt transmitter but to double that, which gives us a far stronger signal into our target area, and also to have a directional antenna,” Kennedy says.
The new 200,000-watt transmitter will allow TWR to broadcast into all parts of Nigeria and some neighboring countries. The project still needs somewhere around $500,000.
Will you help broadcast God’s Word to all of Nigeria? To financially support the Oasis Transmitter Project, CLICK HERE.
Next Steps
Pray for this project. Pray for the people on the ground who are working to keep the hope of Christ on the radio waves. Ask God to protect this work, the equipment necessary for broadcasting, and the successful production of the programs. Pray against spiritual warfare facing TWR. Pray for TWR’s connection with churches and listeners in the region, too.
(Photo courtesy of TWR via Facebook)
“We would love prayer for that. I think that’s the most important thing. We really came through some really tough times last year, and it’s been prayer that has taken us through these times. It’s only God [who] has taken us through these times. There’s no way we can say that man has brought us this far. It is God. And we just praise God for that,” Kennedy says.
To learn more about the challenges Christians face in Nigeria, CLICK HERE.
Header photo courtesy of Trans World Radio.
