Diwali 2026 in Nigeria: Dates, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat and Temples

Quick answer: in Nigeria, Lakshmi Puja (main Diwali) is on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the Abuja muhurat is 6:33 PM to 8:33 PM Nigerian time. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November. The main dates are the same across the country; only the evening timings change from city to city. Nigeria's Hindu community is small but long established, with temples and ISKCON centres in Lagos, Ibadan and Port Harcourt.

Editor's note (1 November 2026): HinduTone calculated these local dates from Drik Panchang tithi times using Drik's own rules for each festival, and checked our method against Drik's published dates for 15 countries. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna that falls within Pradosh Kaal, following the Drik method, worked out for each city's own sunset. We do not list event schedules, because they change every year. Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages.

Diwali 2026 dates in Nigeria

These are the five days of Diwali for Abuja. Nigeria is on a single time zone (West Africa Time, UTC+1), and the dates are the same in every city we checked except one, noted below the city table.

For reference, the underlying tithis (Drik Panchang, IST): Trayodashi runs from 10:30 AM on 6 November to 10:47 AM on 7 November; Chaturdashi to 11:27 AM on 8 November; Amavasya from 11:27 AM on 8 November to 12:31 PM on 9 November; Pratipada to 2:00 PM on 10 November; and Dwitiya to 3:53 PM on 11 November. In Nigerian time, Amavasya runs from Sun 8 Nov, 6:57 AM to Mon 9 Nov, 8:01 AM, so the whole of Sunday evening falls within it.

Diwali 2026 city-by-city timings in Nigeria

All times are Nigerian time (UTC+1). The muhurat is for Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November.

Aba is the one difference: our calculation places Naraka Chaturdashi there on Sunday 8 November, the same day as Lakshmi Puja, because of how the Chaturdashi tithi falls against local dawn. Families in the south-east who follow a printed calendar or their temple's announcement should go by that. Lakshmi Puja, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj are the same in all nine cities.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat explained

Lakshmi Puja is performed on the Amavasya evening of Kartik, during Pradosh Kaal, the period of roughly two and a half hours that begins at sunset. Within Pradosh, the most favoured window is the time when Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna is rising. Vrishabha is a sthira (fixed) sign, and worship done then is traditionally said to help Lakshmi stay in the home.

In Abuja on Sunday 8 November 2026, sunset is at 6:06 PM, so Pradosh Kaal runs from 6:06 PM to 8:33 PM. Vrishabha lagna rises within it from 6:33 PM to 8:33 PM, and that is the muhurat we give. If you cannot begin inside the muhurat, any time in the wider Pradosh window is still accepted by most families and priests.

Because Nigeria stretches a long way east to west and north to south on one clock, sunset differs by almost half an hour between Kano and Lagos. Use the row for your own city, or the nearest one.

Hindu temples in Nigeria for Diwali

Nigeria has a small Hindu community, concentrated in Lagos. We have only listed places we could confirm through an official directory or reliable reporting. Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages.

Lagos

• ISKCON Lagos, Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundara Mandir – Ilupeju/Mushin area; the main Hare Krishna temple in Nigeria
• ISKCON Lagos Apapa – Apapa; listed in ISKCON's official centres directory
• Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple – Palmgrove Estate, Ilupeju; maintained by the Telugu community, which has worked with the Hindu Mandir Foundation on festival celebrations

Ibadan

• ISKCON Ibadan – Iwo Road area, Oyo State; listed in ISKCON's official centres directory

Port Harcourt

• ISKCON Port Harcourt – Trans Amadi area, Rivers State

Abuja, Kano and other cities

We could not confirm a public Hindu temple in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Benin City, Onitsha or Aba. In past years the Indian Cultural Association has organised community Diwali and Navratri gatherings in Abuja, Lagos and Kano, and the High Commission of India in Abuja has supported community events. If you live outside Lagos, ask through these networks or among Indian families in your city, and a well-kept home puja is entirely proper. ISKCON has also run travelling programmes in other Nigerian cities, so it is worth contacting the nearest centre.

How Diwali is celebrated in Nigeria

Indians have lived and traded in Nigeria for generations. Sindhi trading families were among the earliest settlers, followed after independence by professionals, engineers, doctors, teachers and business people from across India, including Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayali and Marwari families. Most live in Lagos, with smaller groups in Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Ibadan. Krishna consciousness reached Nigeria in the late 1970s, and today a notable share of Nigeria's Hindus are Nigerian-born devotees of ISKCON, which gives Hinduism here a distinctly local face.

Diwali is mostly a family and community festival. Homes are cleaned and decorated with rangoli and diyas, families exchange sweets with friends and colleagues of every faith, and many businesses run by Indian families hold a Lakshmi Puja for the new financial year. Community Diwali programmes, when held, typically include a puja, cultural performances by children, classical and Bollywood dance, a shared vegetarian meal and sometimes a small fireworks display. ISKCON temples usually mark Diwali with kirtan, a lamp offering (Deepadaan) to Krishna during Kartik, and Govardhan Puja with a large Annakut offering on the following day.

Sikh families mark Bandi Chhor Divas on the same night, and Jain families observe Diwali as the nirvana of Lord Mahavira. All are welcome at most community gatherings.

Simple Lakshmi Puja at home

If there is no temple near you, a home puja is the heart of Diwali for most families. A simple vidhi:

1. Clean the house, especially the puja area and the entrance, and make a rangoli at the door.
2. Place a clean cloth on a low table or chowki, with images or murtis of Lakshmi and Ganesha, a kalash of water topped with mango leaves and a coconut, and some coins or notes.
3. Light a ghee diya and place more diyas around the house and at the doorstep.
4. Begin with a prayer to Ganesha, then offer Lakshmi flowers, kumkum, haldi, rice, sweets, fruit and a little puffed rice (kheel) or batasha.
5. Recite or play the Lakshmi Ashtakam or Shri Suktam, or simply chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, during the muhurat or within Pradosh Kaal.
6. Finish with aarti, share the prasad, and keep a lamp burning through the night if you can do so safely.

Practical tips

• Lakshmi Puja falls on a Sunday this year, so most families can be home for the evening muhurat. Dhanteras is on a Friday and Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj fall on working days. We could not confirm Diwali on Nigeria's 2026 public holiday list, so check the official 2026 holiday list and your employer's policy.
• Sunset is early: 5:58 PM in Kano, 6:06 PM in Abuja and 6:25 PM in Lagos on 8 November. Have the puja set up before dusk.
• November is the end of the rainy season in the south and the start of the dry, dusty harmattan in the north. Keep diyas away from curtains and dry leaves, and shield them from wind.
• Fireworks rules are set by state and local authorities, and many estates have their own rules. Check before buying or lighting any.
• If you want a priest to perform a puja at home or a family puja at a temple, ask a few weeks ahead; numbers of priests are small.
• Power cuts can happen; keep oil diyas and candles ready rather than relying only on electric lights.

Frequently asked questions

When is Diwali 2026 in Nigeria?

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026 everywhere in Nigeria. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi on Saturday 7 November in most cities (Sunday 8 November in Aba), Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November.

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in Abuja and Lagos?

In Abuja the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 6:33 PM to 8:33 PM on Sunday 8 November 2026, Nigerian time (UTC+1). In Lagos it is 6:53 PM to 8:51 PM. Both are the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna inside Pradosh Kaal, which begins at local sunset.

Is there a Hindu temple in Nigeria?

Yes, mainly in Lagos. ISKCON runs the Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundara Mandir in Lagos and a centre in Apapa, and the Telugu community maintains the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Ilupeju. ISKCON also has centres in Ibadan and Port Harcourt. We could not confirm a public Hindu temple in Abuja or Kano, where the Indian Cultural Association has held community Diwali gatherings in past years.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Nigeria?

We could not confirm Diwali on Nigeria's 2026 public holiday list, so check the official 2026 holiday announcements and your employer's policy. In 2026 Lakshmi Puja falls on a Sunday, which makes the evening puja easier for most working families.

Why are Lagos timings later than Kano's?

Nigeria uses one time zone, but Lagos lies further west and south, so the sun sets later there. Kano's sunset on 8 November is at 5:58 PM and its muhurat is 6:25 PM to 8:27 PM, while Lagos sunset is at 6:25 PM and its muhurat runs to 8:51 PM. Always use the timing for your own city.

Can I light diyas and fireworks for Diwali in Nigeria?

Diyas and candles at home are fine with sensible fire safety, especially in the dry harmattan air in the north. Rules on fireworks are set by local authorities, so check with your state or estate management before buying or lighting any.

Related guides

• Diwali 2026 dates in every country, with Lakshmi Puja times
• Diwali 2026 festival hub
• Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat (India)
• The 5 days of Diwali 2026 explained
• Govardhan Puja and Annakut 2026
• Bhai Dooj 2026
• Diwali 2026 in Ghana
• Diwali 2026 in Uganda
• Diwali 2026 in Zambia