Muslim philanthropy in Nigeria

The Muslim community in Nigeria represents a significant share of the total population. While Muslims and Muslim Sunnis are a large portion of the population, there is no disaggregated data on religious affiliations and even the national census doesn’t include data on religion and ethnicity. The relationship between the state and the Muslim community from the precolonial period to the present and during civilian and military administrations has fluctuated from supportive to neutral but rarely hostile. The most important public policy development which has affected Muslim philanthropy in recent times was when many state governments introduced Sharia’h, which provided for the establishment of Zakat and Waqf boards. Informal giving dominates the philanthropic activities of Nigerians and Nigerian Muslims. There are challenges in undertaking this research including lack of data, paucity of research on the topic, and insufficient attention to gender.