CHAPTER    ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1    BACKGROUND
 Christianity as a religion has been involved in many cities of the world since the emergence of the world. However, with the various denominations in Christianity, I would focus more on Anglicanism.         This project work would therefore encompass the history of Christianity in Nigeria, the spread to Nnewi in Anambra State with the case study of the Anglicans stressing out its impacts. The  history of Christianity in Nigeria especially in Nnewi town which is among the towns in Igboland located in Anambra State in the South eastern part of Nigeria present certain discoveries that are both positive and negative. Discoveries has been made on the people of Nnewi and their culture, they are known to have great cultural value that makes them unique. Religion is part of them and thus they cannot live without it. An adage says :- “Okpukpem bu ndum.                                 Onye nwere Okpukpem                                  Nwere ndum”. This means :-  “My religion is my life.                            Whoever takes away my                            religion takes my life”.1         The Igbo people place so much values and attachment to their religion. With the advent of Christianity in Nigeria, especially in the Igbo land, the traditional religion of the Igbo people began to encounter some challenges. Some of the traditional practices were abandoned when Christianity took a firm ground in Nnewi town.         The first Christian contact in Nigeria occurred in the fifteenth century when the Portuguese introduced Roman Catholicism. However, it was virtually extinguished over the following 200 years until Roman Catholic missionaries returned in the 1800s.Since then, the catholic church has grown and now claims approximately 19 million members and adherents mainly in the south east.         The Anglican church of Nigeria now numbers over 11 million members and adherents. The growth of the church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) since the end of the slave trade has been a very rapid one. It is interesting to know that within two centuries, Christianity and indeed Anglicanism which started like child’s play in Badagry and Abeokuta has spread like wild fire to all nooks and crannies of our country Nigeria.         Christianity came into Nigeria in the 15th century through the efforts of Augustinian and Capuchin monks from Portugal.However, it was not until 1842 that Henry Townsend of the church missionary society sowed the seed of Anglicanism properly when he landed in Badagry from Freetown, Sierra Leone.2         The background of this study is that Christianity has come to stay in Nigeria and states within the country. Although, Christianity poses a form of threat due to its various denominations which sometimes speak in different voices.         Christianity in Nnewi, Anambra state is what I would research on and expose in this work, I would specialize more on the Anglicans, other things to be considered in this work include the origin of the people of Nnewi, their religion and activities of the missionaries and how they affected the traditional religion of the Nnewi people.