Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, has sparked a heated debate after declaring that Nigeria was not divinely created but was instead a colonial construction designed for British economic gain.
Speaking during a Sunday sermon, the cleric dismissed the idea of Nigeria being founded on God’s will, insisting that historical and colonial interests shaped its existence.
“Nigeria, I do not believe it was created by God. I don’t believe it. I believe that Elizabeth the first got into a deal with the Ottoman Empire and they had a deal concerning the Sudan and those who care to buy the book, buy the book. It’s written by a fellow called, the name of the book is The Martyrdom of Man.
“As far as Africa was concerned, two empires got together and decided that this land will go to the sons of Ishmael. It is self-evident, but let’s not go there. This is not a political forum. This is a church and the church has responsibilities to get right what man got wrong. She’s the light of the world and the salt of the earth. That’s important.
Adefarasin further argued that Nigeria’s constitution lacks legitimacy since it was imposed by soldiers rather than by “we the people.”
Quoting Psalm 11:3, he likened the nation’s predicament to a building raised on faulty foundations.
“I have no problem with people of any faith being in charge, but they must adhere to the constitution of we the people. And when a constitution proposed to be of we the people and it is not, it’s some soldiers who wrote it, you have to question why we obey that constitution.
“Nigeria cannot be a solid nation that is properly grounded going towards her destiny. We started to go, but the Bible says, Psalm 11 verse 3, if the foundation is corrupted, if it is destroyed, what can the righteous do? To build a sustainable building, you have to build a solid foundation. You do a soil test, you do your engineering statics and you determine what will carry this building and make it last for a long time.”
He also took aim at governance and corruption, citing shoddy road projects as a metaphor for Nigeria’s flawed systems.
“There’s a difference between any road and the road that they build that takes you to the Lagos airport. That’s a proper road. Why they build roads and resurface them wrongly, I don’t know.
“Somebody suggested to me that it’s that kind of road because they want the same contract next year. That means that somebody sitting down somewhere making decisions has no sense of equity and justice. Do you understand? I hope you get me.
The pastor dismissed Nigeria’s celebrated nationalist leaders, Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe, as “not the true founding fathers.” Instead, he attributed the nation’s creation to British officials in Whitehall and Lord Lugard, whose girlfriend allegedly coined the name “Nigeria.”
“There was a colonial conquest coming from the Maghreb, the Sahel, and it was interrupted by another colonial conquest of the British. And the British are not, let me say it another way, Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Azikiwe, they are not the founding fathers of Nigeria in my opinion.
“The founding fathers of Nigeria are some men from Whitehall and a fellow called Tob Goldman, his girlfriend, she named the country, and also Lugard.