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People group profile · PG013806

The Gokana of Nigeria

The Gokana of Nigeria, numbering about 197,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are one of the six traditional kingdoms of Nigeria's Ogoni people in the Niger Delta, whose communities survived the slave-trade era without losing members to enslavement, formally separated into its own county council in 1956.

They are an indigenous people in the Benue people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Gokana.

Pray for the GokanaPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Gokana people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Gokana

Fast facts

Country
Nigeria
Population
197,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Benue
Primary language
Gokana (gkn)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
5% or Greater but Less than 10%
GSEC
5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
Lostness priority
Marginally Reached People Group
Region
Western Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Gokana are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 5% evangelical.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Gokana

  • Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
  • Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
  • Send out laborers from this people to the nations

Primary religion

Protestantism · Christianity

98% adherents

Primary language

Gokana · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Gokana

Gospel resources in Gokana

  • Bible available, published 2011
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Gokana

  1. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  2. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  3. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  4. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.

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