Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, has sparked national debate following remarks in a Sunday sermon where he asserted that Nigeria’s creation was not divinely inspired but was instead a result of British colonial interests driven by financial gain.
Speaking to his congregation, Pastor Adefarasin rejected the widely held belief that Nigeria was formed under divine direction, instead describing its foundation as the outcome of imperial deals and colonial conquests.
“Nigeria, I do not believe it was created by God,” Adefarasin declared. “I believe that Elizabeth the First got into a deal with the Ottoman Empire concerning Sudan. It’s written in a book titled The Martyrdom of Man. Two empires got together and decided that this land would go to the sons of Ishmael.”
He stressed that the church has a responsibility to correct historical wrongs, stating, “The church is the light of the world and the salt of the earth. That’s important.”
The popular cleric went on to criticize Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, which he described as illegitimate, claiming it was crafted by military rulers rather than through a democratic process involving the people.
Referencing Psalm 11:3, he likened Nigeria to a building constructed on a faulty foundation.
“When a constitution proposes 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,” he said.
“If the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do? A sustainable nation requires a solid foundation.”
Pastor Adefarasin also took aim at corruption in governance, using poor road construction as an example of systemic failure.
He pointed to the road leading to the Lagos airport as an exception in quality, implying that deliberate sabotage may be at play elsewhere.
“Why they build roads and resurface them wrongly, I don’t know,” he said. “Somebody suggested to me that it’s done so the same contract can be awarded again next year. That kind of thinking shows a lack of justice and equity.”
In a particularly controversial part of his sermon, Pastor Adefarasin dismissed Nigeria’s widely celebrated nationalist leaders Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe as not being the true founding fathers of Nigeria.
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Instead, he credited British colonial officials and Lord Frederick Lugard’s partner, Flora Shaw, with creating both the concept and name of Nigeria.
“There was a colonial conquest from the Maghreb and the Sahel, interrupted by another conquest from the British. The founding fathers of Nigeria, in my opinion, are some men from Whitehall, a fellow named Tob Goldman, his girlfriend who named the country, and Lugard.”
“This nation was created for the business of the British purse, so they wouldn’t have to bear the bill for the less prosperous parts of the country.”
Pastor Paul Adefarasin’s comments have ignited widespread discussion across social and political circles, with many praising his boldness, while others criticize his dismissal of Nigeria’s nationalist icons and question the appropriateness of such topics in a religious setting.
As the conversation around Nigeria’s identity, constitution, and future continues to evolve, Pastor Adefarasin’s statements have added fuel to a long-standing national discourse on whether the country’s foundation can sustain its democratic aspirations and development goals.