BHA00021_5

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NIGED:SOCIAL:CULTURE:RELIGION:NOV 1958 Ð The Strength And Influence Of Islam On West Africa Ð Eid-El-Kabir Festival: The federal premier, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, leads worshippers at the Obalende praying ground in Lagos. Solemn and pensive, on the premierÕs left, stands a boy of royal blood. He is prince Oyekan Adele, scion of a formidable father, His Excellency, Oba Adele II of Lagos. It is difficult to be precise about the number of Muslims in West Africa, since in most territories religious statistics are not recorded in the census. The vast majority of the population of Northern Nigeria is Muslim, though some pagan tribes have survived, especially in the Middle Belt. In the predominantly Yoruba Western Region of Nigeria, conversion to Islam is taking place rapidly, and it is estimated that in some of the big towns, like Ibadan, between 50 and 60 per cent of the population is already Muslim.( Photograph by Drum Photographer ©BAHA)