Sudan Interior Mission (Sim): An Evangelical Operation for a Unique Task in Northern Nigeria to 1960

Many factors contributed to the uniqueness of the Christian Missionary endeavors in northern Nigeria above other areas in West African Sub-region. The level of entrenchment of Islamic institutions, founded by the Sokoto Caliphate, (through the emirates), the civilization and state craft, cultural refinement and civility, and encouraging societal development trends were the hallmark of the northern Nigerian areas since the fifteenth century Hausa States. Further, the emergence of an egalitarian Caliphate of Sokoto 1804-1903, which spread its influence and powers in West Africa had its main headquarters in Sokoto, one of the established city states of Hausaland founded in 1809 as a consequence of the Usmanu Danfodiyo led tajdeed, reform movement. In this regard therefore, any Christian Missionary who wanted to successfully operate and succeed in the region must have some basic knowledge of dealing with challenge and peculiar nature of Islam’s response to other religions. The education system, the ability to read and write (indigenous writing system, Ajami, especially among the Hausa, Nupe and Kanuri) were some of the salient and distinguishing factors of the Muslim regions of northern Nigeria from non-Muslim societies, which in turn demanded for a specialized and unique set of Missionary forces. That was to be able appeal to a people with a distinct world view and sense of universality in their faith.
The Church, consequently, therefore, especially the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) adopted some exceptional measures in their method of conversion (use of Hausa Arabic script translation of the Bible(Ajami), emphasis on use of Hausa language even among non-Hausa speakers, etc), missionary personnel were trained (in basic knowledge of Islam, and adoption of Hausa language and also European missionaries especially women adopted Hausa names and attires with a view to appeal positively to the Muslims of Northern Nigeria. The article therefore intends to study such uniqueness of Hausaland and the central Sudan in general in terms of its culture and religion vis a vis the approach of the Christian evangelists in the region and the implication of the exercise in making or failure to make converts in the region, and the future of inter-religious harmony as well as state-religion relations and other similar questions will be addressed by the research.

Keywords: Sudan Interior Mission, Northern Nigeria, Missionary activities.