Nigerians have experienced a chaotic history characterized by wide spread corruption and governing inefficiencies. From the twelfth century, conflicts between Muslims and Christians have caused tension, violence, coups and civil war. In a brutal civil war in 1967, the country was split between the two religious factions. Since then, Muslims have maintained political control until 1999, when a Christian was elected as President. He is moving carefully to bring about change while striving to preserve national unity.

There are more than 490 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Presently, economic realities coupled with deep-rooted corruption of all levels of society continue to oppress these various groups. Over the years, Hausa traders and Mullahs have carried Islam throughout West Africa. It is expected that if you are Hausa, you are Islamic; hence, Christian converts within the Hausa nation are barely tolerated and not without persecution. At the same time, practice of Islam among the Hausa is in reality a mixture of traditional animism, practice of pagan rituals and Islamic practices.

Deuteronomy 31:12 says “Assemble the people,” the Lord instructed, “—men, women, and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of the Law.” (NIV) Unchurched people are attracted to the listening groups as they hear the Audio Scriptures in their own language. As they listen, hearts are changed and converts made.

While the nations of Nigeria continue to work toward a unified country, Faith Comes By Hearing opens the way for the hearts of the Hausa nation to be turned to God. In one village, a Christian man was playing the New Testament, softly, on his window every day. He would start playing it in the mornings at the same time that the morning call to prayer would begin. After a few weeks, a messenger was sent to tell the man to appear at the Mullah’s home. Anxiety gripped the man, but he went. The Mullah in fact wanted to speak to him about his Faith Comes By Hearing tapes. However instead of demanding that he stop or even quarreling about the tapes, the Mullah asked him to continue playing them, but louder!