Pastor Paul Adefarasin, Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, has sparked controversy with his assertion that Nigeria’s creation wasn’t an act of divine will, but rather a product of British colonial interests.
According to Adefarasin, Nigeria was formed to serve British financial agendas, citing agreements between Queen Elizabeth I and the Ottoman Empire.
Adefarasin disputes the notion that Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe were Nigeria’s founding fathers.
Instead, he attributes the country’s formation to British colonial officials, specifically Lord Lugard and men from Whitehall.
He claims that Lugard’s partner coined the name “Nigeria.”
The pastor also questioned the legitimacy of Nigeria’s constitution, stating it was authored by the military rather than the people.
He likened Nigeria’s situation to a building on unstable foundations, referencing Psalm 11:3, and criticised the country’s leadership and corruption.
Adefarasin also pointed to poor road construction as a symbol of Nigeria’s broken systems, stating that some roads are intentionally substandard to secure repeat contracts.
He said, “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 would 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.
“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 is proposed to be of 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 its 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.”
“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.
“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, who named the country, and also 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 and wealthy part of the country.”
