Preaching on Sunday, House on the Rock Senior Pastor Paul Adefarasin has argued that Nigeria’s celebrated nationalist leaders cannot be regarded as its true founding fathers.
Instead, he said the country was stitched together in Whitehall boardrooms and shaped by Lord Lugard for Britain’s financial gain. He added that a nation built on such shaky foundations cannot thrive without confronting its colonial legacy and flawed constitution.
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Challenging the legacy of Nigeria’s celebrated nationalist leaders, Adefarasin dismissed figures such as Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe as the country’s true founding fathers.
“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.
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‘‘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,” he stated
This past June, the clergy man was accused of allegedly owning and pointing a gun at the popular tiktok creator known for creating content of expensive Lagos cars.
Britain’s agenda
Mr Adefarasin’s remarks also sparked controversy across social media after categorically stating that Nigeria was not divinely created but rather a creation by the British colonial designs for economic gain.
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In the same sermon, the clergyman challenged the idea that Nigeria’s existence was ordained by God, claiming historical and colonial interests dictated its formation.
He cited The Martyrdom of Man and referred to agreements involving Queen Elizabeth I and the Ottoman Empire, suggesting Africa’s territories were divided for foreign advantage.
“Nigeria, I do not believe it was created by God. I don’t believe it. I believe that Elizabeth the 1st 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 said. “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.” Adefarasin said
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Furthermore, he questioned the legitimacy of Nigeria’s constitution, noting that it was imposed by soldiers rather than “we the people.” Quoting Psalm 11:3, he likened the nation’s situation to a building constructed on a weak foundation. “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,” he stated.
He continued, “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 statistics, you determine what will carry this building and make it last for a long time.”
He went on to take a swipe at the government, criticising systemic corruption. He used poorly executed road projects as an example of flawed national planning. He suggested some roads are intentionally substandard to secure repeat contracts, reflecting a lack of fairness and accountability.
He said: “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.
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