Aba Nigeria Temple

The Aba Nigeria Temple is the 121st operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

An announcement was made on April 2, 2000 that a Mormon temple would be built in Aba, capital of the state of Abia, to serve the nation's 68,000 Latter-day Saints. This temple was the third temple to be built in Africa. The highly visible temple site is convert|6.3|acre|m2 on the outskirts of Aba along the Ogbor River. A bridge had to be built over the river to provide access to the temple.

A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication was held on February 23, 2002. More than 2,000 people were present at the ceremony including Mormon members, Church leaders, tribal chiefs from the area, and government leaders. Construction began soon after the site dedication. An open house was held from June 18 to July 2, 2005 to allow people to tour the inside of the temple and learn about the ceremonies performed inside Mormon temples.

On Saturday August 6, 2005, the day before the temple was dedicated, a celebration was held, recounting the story of the area through song and dance. President of the Mormon Church, Gordon B. Hinckley, dedicated the Aba Nigeria Temple on August 7, 2005. More than 7,000 people were present for the dedication.

The Aba Nigeria Temple has a total floor area of convert|11500|sqft|m2, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. The outer walls are made of Namibian pearl granite.

ee also

* Temple (Mormonism)
* List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
* Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)

External links

* [http://www.lds.org/temples/main/0,11204,1912-1-163-0,00.html Official Aba Nigeria Temple page]
* [http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/aba/ Aba Nigeria Temple page]
* [http://www.lds.org/ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] - Official Site
* [http://www.mormon.org/ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] - Visitors Site
* [http://www.religionfacts.com/mormonism/practices/temple_ordinances.htm Mormon Temple Ordinances] - ReligionFacts
* [http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2005/01/mormon-temples-and-secrecy.html Mormon Temples and Secrecy]