“Nigeria Is a Colonial Business, Not God’s Creation” — Pastor Paul Adefarasin Sparks Debate

Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, has ignited controversy after declaring that Nigeria’s existence is not a divine creation but a colonial enterprise crafted by the British.

Addressing his congregation during a sermon, Adefarasin argued that the country was stitched together to serve Britain’s economic interests, not a higher purpose.

“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 pastor noted that even the country’s name was coined not by its people but by the girlfriend of a British colonial officer during Lord Lugard’s administration.

He further dismissed the notion that Nigeria’s founding fathers—Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe—were its true originators, insisting that “some men from Whitehall” in London engineered the union.

Adefarasin lamented Nigeria’s economic underperformance, saying the nation should by now be the “factory of Africa” but instead has become a dumping ground for second-hand goods.

He urged urgent reforms in education and technical training to empower citizens with practical skills for manufacturing and innovation, pointing to China as a model.

“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 declared.