Nigeria not created by God, but by Britain’s greed – Pastor Adefarasin

Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, has stirred widespread debate after declaring that Nigeria was not a divine creation but rather a colonial arrangement designed to serve British economic interests.

Speaking during a Sunday sermon, Adefarasin rejected the belief that Nigeria was founded on God’s will, insisting instead that its formation was shaped by historical and colonial powers.

“Nigeria, I don’t believe it was created by God. I believe it was a product of colonial deals and economic interests. For those interested, the book The Martyrdom of Man sheds light on some of these arrangements. As far as Africa was concerned, empires struck deals that determined who controlled certain territories. But this is not a political forum—it is a church. And the church’s role is to correct what man got wrong, to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth,” he said.

He further argued that Nigeria’s constitution lacks legitimacy since it was imposed by military rulers rather than genuinely created by the people. Citing Psalm 11:3, he likened Nigeria’s plight to a structure built on a weak foundation.

“If the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do? To build something lasting, you must first establish a solid base. Our constitution is not truly ‘of the people,’ and that explains our instability,” he noted.

Adefarasin also criticized governance and corruption, pointing to poorly constructed roads as a reflection of the country’s flawed systems.

“There’s a clear difference between well-built roads, like the one leading to Lagos airport, and the substandard ones resurfaced just to create new contracts year after year. It reflects a lack of justice and equity in leadership,” he lamented.

The pastor dismissed Nigeria’s celebrated nationalist leaders—Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Nnamdi Azikiwe—as not being the nation’s true founders. Instead, he attributed Nigeria’s creation to British officials in Whitehall, Lord Lugard, and even Lugard’s girlfriend, who allegedly coined the name “Nigeria.”

“This nation was created for the profit of Britain, to ease their financial burden from less prosperous regions. Our so-called founding fathers were not the architects of Nigeria’s creation; it was a colonial project designed for the British purse,” he concluded.