After more than a decade of painful division, the United Methodist Church in Nigeria has achieved a remarkable breakthrough that promises renewed unity and hope for its members.

At a landmark conference held in the Jolly Nyame Stadium in Jalingo, Taraba State, church leaders from across Nigeria's five Annual Conferences unanimously adopted a comprehensive Deed of Reconciliation, effectively ending years of leadership disputes, legal battles, and internal conflicts.

The groundbreaking meeting, which took place on December 5, 2025, saw delegates from Nigeria, Cameroon, and Senegal vote to restructure the church's administrative boundaries and create a pathway for healing. A key resolution was the renaming of the Southern Nigeria Annual Conference to the Southwest Nigeria Annual Conference, addressing years of confusion and rivalry.

In a significant administrative reform, the church approved the creation of two Episcopal Areas in Nigeria. The Southern Nigeria Episcopal Area, headquartered in Jalingo, will oversee the Southern Conference, Southwest Nigeria Annual Conference, and Cameroon Mission District. The North-Central Nigeria Episcopal Area, based in Abuja, will manage the Central Nigeria, Northeast Nigeria, and Northern Nigeria Annual Conferences, along with the Senegal Mission District.

The reconciliation process was deeply emotional, with church leaders formally acknowledging the painful history of disagreements that had fractured the congregation since the 2012 episcopal election. The Deed of Reconciliation included mutual apologies, commitments to forgiveness, and pledges to restore peace and cooperation.

Delegates also strategically re-demarcated Nigeria's 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and mission fields to eliminate jurisdictional conflicts. In preparation for future leadership, each Annual Conference elected four voting delegates and two alternates for an anticipated bishop election in December 2026.

Bishop Ande Emmanuel, presiding over the Nigeria Episcopal Area, endorsed the final resolutions, which were signed by conference secretaries, making the agreements legally binding for all church members. The comprehensive agreement not only resolves past conflicts but sets a powerful precedent for conflict resolution and unity.

The breakthrough represents a triumph of dialogue, forgiveness, and collaborative problem-solving, demonstrating the potential for healing even in the most challenging organizational disputes.