Religion
Nigeria Was Never in God’s Plan – Pastor Paul Adefarasin
Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, has stirred heated national debate after declaring during a recent sermon that “Nigeria was never in God’s plan.”
Speaking to his congregation on Sunday, the clergyman argued that Nigeria was not divinely ordained but was rather created as a colonial enterprise designed to serve British interests.
“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.”
He further explained that Nigeria’s creation was the product of colonial agreements and commercial interests, not divine mandate.
“As far as Africa was concerned, two empires got together and decided that this land will 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.”
Adefarasin stressed that Nigeria’s name itself was not of indigenous origin but was allegedly coined by the girlfriend of a British colonial official, while Lord Lugard and administrators in Whitehall, London, orchestrated the union.
“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, she 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 not as prosperous and wealthy part of the country.”
The pastor also dismissed Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as illegitimate, since it was imposed by soldiers rather than by “we the people.”
“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 proposed 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.
“Nigeria cannot be a solid nation that is properly grounded going towards her 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.”
He lamented Nigeria’s economic stagnation despite its abundant potential, saying the country should already be “the factory of Africa” but has instead become a dumping ground for second-hand goods.
The preacher also criticized corruption in governance, using Nigeria’s poorly constructed roads as a metaphor for its faulty systems.
“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.”
Despite his critique, Adefarasin emphasized that Nigeria could still rise, but only under leaders committed to justice, equity, and true nation-building.
“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.”
His remarks have since sparked widespread reactions across social media and public discourse. While some Nigerians agree with his historical perspective, others criticized him for questioning the country’s divine legitimacy.
