Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, has ignited widespread debate after declaring during a sermon that he does not believe Nigeria was created by God
Speaking to his congregation, Adefarasin argued that Nigeria was a colonial construct designed to serve British economic interests rather than a mandate from God.
“I don’t believe Nigeria was created by God. 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 region,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s name was not of indigenous origin but was coined by the girlfriend of a British official during the period Lord Lugard and other colonial administrators finalized the country’s amalgamation.
Adefarasin also dismissed the notion that Nigeria’s founding fathers — Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe — were the true architects of the nation, attributing its creation instead to “some men from Whitehall” in Britain.
The clergyman lamented Nigeria’s economic stagnation, noting that the country should by now be “the factory of Africa” but has instead become a dumping ground for second-hand goods.
He called for urgent investment in education, especially in technical schools, to equip young Nigerians with skills for invention and manufacturing, pointing to China as an example.
“We have people poorer than their laborers. Nigeria must rise to become the factory of the world. But it will take men of justice and equity who devote themselves to nation-building,” Adefarasin charged.
