Chabad in Nigeria is set to embark on a massive expansion just five years after its launch. The new center, set to be built on a parcel of land incorporating a recently opened mikvah, will bring all of Chabad Lubavitch of Nigeria�s activities under one roof.

Currently, Chabad-Lubavitch is spread across four different locations in Abuja.

�Chabad is doing holy work,� says Shay Wittner, an Israeli expat in Nigeria. �They create a warm family, and it�s been such a blessing to have them here.�

�The new institution will include our Chabad House, guest houses, a Jewish school, a kosher store and a center for our humanitarian work,� Rabbi Israel Uzan, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Nigeria, tells Chabad.org.

Uzan, along with his wife, Haya, are based in Abuja, the country�s capital. They estimate that there are about 1,200 Jews, mostly Israelis, in Nigeria year-round. Some 50 families live in Abuja and 20 families in Lagos, the country�s largest city, some 467 miles away. Most of Nigeria�s Jews tend to live there for several years while employed at Israeli-based companies in the fields of construction, agriculture, technology and security.

There are also thousands more who come for business or humanitarian work.

�[The Uzans] came here five years ago,� says Guy Feldman, Israel�s Ambassador to Nigeria. �Since then, this place has place has completely changed. I can only imagine that what will happen in the coming years will be even more amazing.�

(Source: Chabad.org)