Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, has set off a heated debate after boldly declaring during a sermon that he does not believe Nigeria was created by God.
Addressing his congregation, Adefarasin argued that the nation was a colonial construct designed to serve British economic interests, not a divine mandate.
“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.
The clergyman noted that Nigeria’s very name was not of indigenous origin but was coined by the girlfriend of a British colonial official during the amalgamation era under Lord Lugard.
Adefarasin further dismissed the idea that Nigeria’s founding fathers — Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe — were the true architects of the country, insisting that its creation was orchestrated by “some men from Whitehall” in Britain.
Lamenting decades of economic stagnation, he stressed that Nigeria should by now be “the factory of Africa”, but has instead become a dumping ground for imported second-hand goods.
Calling for urgent reforms, Adefarasin urged massive investment in education and technical schools, emphasizing the need to equip young Nigerians with practical skills for innovation and manufacturing, while citing China as a global 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,” he charged.
