An event seven years in the making, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Lagos Nigeria Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 10 May 2025 was an occasion for great celebration. Under the presiding authority of Elder Alfred Kyungu of the Seventy, Africa West Area President, the groundbreaking and dedication ushered in a new era for Saints in Nigeria and surrounding areas.
During the October 2018 general conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the intent to construct a temple in Lagos, and eager Nigerians — indeed, members across West Africa — have been looking for and praying for this day.
During the seven years since President Nelson’s announcement, attorneys, architects, project managers and others have been working diligently and consistently behind the scenes to ensure legal and regulatory compliance, arrange supply chains, work with civic and religious leaders and residents and more. These behind-the-scenes activities took time and great effort, but their resolution is what finally made the groundbreaking possible.
The Temple
Once completed, the temple will occupy a 2.7-acre site located at Rumens Road and Bourdillon Road in the Ikoyi neighborhood of Lagos, a city of approximately 16 million residents (according to Lagos State Government’s 2022 survey). The structure, spanning approximately 19,800 square feet, will include two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms and one baptistry. An arrival center and a building for patron housing also will be constructed on the site.
Unlike regular meetinghouses, temples are not for weekly worship services with congregants. Instead, worthy Latter-day Saints attend the temple to make sacred covenants and receive sacred ordinances. It is in temples that the purpose of life is given full meaning as family units are sealed together.
The Groundbreaking Ceremony
In preparation for the event, teams of technical and logistics personnel spent Thursday and Friday setting up the internet for live streaming; connecting speakers, microphones, cameras and mixers; constructing the dais for speakers and pavilions for attendees; arranging chairs; and more. On Saturday, local media and TV stations set up their cameras and equipment, and the audience began to shuffle in. Invited guests and dignitaries began to make their way to the dais, and when Elder Kyungu arrived, he took time to welcome everyone before he took his seat on the dais.
Elder Christian Chigbundu, an Area Seventy, conducted the meeting under the presiding direction of Elder Kyungu. After an invocation, Elder Chigbundu emphasized that the Church constructs temples for making covenants that bind us to Jesus Christ.
Sister Uba Ogechci Esther, a local youth, spoke first on personal preparation for attending the temple. She told the audience that to attend the temple, one must repent and be cleansed of sin, forgive others, dress appropriately, and then be prepared spiritually and emotionally for the blessings God wants to give us.
Sister Mercy Fayehun, a local Relief Society sister, then spoke on the blessings of the temple, which include learning of God’s eternal plan, receiving sacred ordinances, receiving personal revelation, feeling peace and solace, and receiving the strength to endure trials.
President Sunday Oyedeji, stake president of the Lagos Nigeria Egbeda Stake, reflected on his experience as a young missionary attending the temple dedication in Aba, Nigeria. He explained that temples are for “receiving the everlasting covenants that can give us the right of passage even to the presence of God, the Eternal Father, and bless our posterity for years to come.”
Prior to giving the dedicatory prayer, Elder Kyungu said that temples have always been a part of the Lord’s plan of happiness for His people. He reviewed scriptural accounts of temples in the Old and New Testaments, showing that temples are not new and have been restored to the earth in our day. He clarified the difference between temples and chapels, noting that weekly worship happens in chapels, but temples are literally houses of God used for making very sacred covenants. He shared 15 promises from President Russell M. Nelson regarding temple attendance and offered the dedicatory prayer.
After beginning by thanking the Father for our Savior Jesus Christ and for His atoning sacrifice, for the restoration of the gospel and for our scriptures, for the restoration of priesthood authority, and for faithful members throughout the world whose tithing helps finance temples, he prayed: “Father, acting in the authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, and under the direction of the President of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson, I now dedicate and consecrate this site for the building of a House of the Lord, the Lagos Nigeria Temple. Dear Father, we ask thee to bless and sanctify this site as we open this ground. We petition thee that this location be hallowed, that it will be protected.”
He proceeded to ask that all those who work on the temple be protected from harm, accident, injuries and danger, both physical and spiritual, and he prayed that the Saints prepare themselves and their children for the day when they can worship in the completed temple. He concluded his dedicatory prayer by recognizing the need for all to rededicate their lives to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and to become more devoted disciples.