Churches in Lagos Are So Noisy They Sometimes Get Shut Down

In an effort to muffle the clamor of 17.9 million people living in Lagos, the Nigerian capital has had to shut down 70 churches, 20 mosques, 10 hotels, and various pubs and clubs.

Africa’s largest city — projected to double in size by 2050 — is also vibrantly religious, consumed by blaring traffic jams up against Muslim calls to prayer and choirs of loud Church singing, the BBC reports.

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LEPA) says worshippers of whatever denomination are being prohibited from praying in makeshift buildings and tents. “Enforcement is a continuous exercise and we have set a target for ourselves,” LEPA general manager Bola Shabi said, adding that the goal was to render Lagos free of noise pollution “by the year 2020.”

Nigeria is about 50% Muslim and 40% Christian.

[BBC]