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The Aba Nigeria Temple is the 121st operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). An announcement was made on April 2, 2000, that a temple would be built in Aba, in the state of Abia, to serve the nation's 68,000 Latter-day Saints. This was the third temple to be built in Africa. The highly visible temple site is on the outskirts of Aba along the Ogbor River. A bridge had to be built over the river to provide access to the temple. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication was held on February 23, 2002. More than 2,000 people were present at the ceremony including church leaders and members, tribal chiefs from the area, and government leaders. Construction began soon after the site dedication. An open house was held from June 18 to July 2, 2005, to allow people to tour the inside of the temple and learn about the ceremonies performed inside LDS temples. On Saturday August 6, 2005, the day before the temple was dedicated, a celebration was held, recounting the story of the area through song and dance. LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Aba Nigeria Temple on August 7, 2005. More than 7,000 people were present for the dedication.〔 The Aba Nigeria Temple has a total floor area of , two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. The outer walls are made of Namibian pearl granite. ==Closing== The temple was closed in mid-June 2009 because of violence in the Aba area. In an e-mail to the Ogden Standard-Examiner a Nigeria temple worker reported an incident in which four gunmen were seen carrying AK-47s, with shooting reported in the area around the temple. Bullets from the shooting struck the guardhouse on the temple grounds.〔 Additionally, the city of Aba and its Nigerian state of Abia had seen a marked increase in reported kidnappings, including the 2007 kidnapping of four missionaries near Port Harcourt.〔 When asked about the reason for closing of the temple, LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said, "The safety of our temple visitors and workers is always our first concern. Incidents of violence in recent months in the area where the temple is situated are not necessarily related to the temple but could put church members at risk."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aba Nigeria Temple」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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