Iran working hard to spread Shiite faith in Nigeria

Iran is trying to expand its influence in resource-rich African countries, especially Nigeria. This comes after Arab peoples grew angry at Iranian interference in the Arab region.

Nigeria is the largest Islamic country in Africa, in terms of population. It is also the largest oil producer in the continent.

Iran wants to establish movements loyal to it in Africa, out of the mould of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq. In Nigeria, it uses democratic tools to spread the Shiite ideology. In doing this, it also uses money and propaganda.

Shia cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky led the Iranian missionary efforts among Nigerians for a long time. However, he was imprisoned by Nigerian authorities.

Zakzaky came to the forefront recently when Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi published a photo of his daughter with the daughter of the late commander of Quds Force Qasem Soleimani.

Ebadi warned against Iranian interference in Africa. She said Zakazay's children live in a plush villa, whereas Nigeria's Muslims suffer abject poverty in the African country's jails. Ebadi said the ongoing persecution of Nigeria's Muslims is a direct result of Iran's attempts to export the ideals of the Iranian Islamic Revolution to that African country.

Zakazaky's daughters are usually invited to all public occasions in Iran. Their presence enjoys huge media coverage.

Nigeria's population contains 150 million Muslims, most of them Sunnis. The Shiite ideology started to make inroads into this African country, only after the eruption of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.

Zakazaky converted to the Shiite faith and then started spreading it in his country, getting financial support from Iran. Nevertheless, he could not make any successes until the mid-1990s.